These plants are adapted to gusting winds, heavy snows, and widely ranging temperatures. They carry on photosynthesis under brilliant light in short periods of daylight. Many tundra plants, such as this one, are called cushion plants which means they grow in a low, tight clump and look like a little cushion. Cushion plants are more common in the tundra where their growth habit helps protect them from the cold. Dark Red Many plants, such as this one, have leaves that are dark red.
Dark leaves allow the plant to absorb more heat from the sun in the cold tundra climate.
Cotton Grass Cotton grass has seeds that are spread out across the tundra when their wings are caught by the wind. Climate and Location Tundra climate is characterized by harsh winters, low average temperatures, little snow or rainfall, and a short summer season. The arctic tundra, in particular, is influenced by permafrost, a layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the ground. The surface soil, which tends to be rocky, thaws in summer to varying depths. The combination of frozen ground and flat terrain on the tundra impedes the drainage of water.