All plants that grow in the Arctic have evolved means to live in harsh conditions. Some species develop a thick layer of protective fuzz to protect them from the cold. Others find protection by growing in cushions or mats. Some plants angle their cup-shaped flowers to the sun, thereby concentrating the rays onto the seed heads in the flower's centre. Others have dark coloured hairs which absorb more solar heat.
Most Arctic plants are low growing, finding more suitable conditions closer to the ground.
Arctic tundra, alpine tundra and taiga. Arctic and alpine tundra are the most common. Taiga is the transition between boreal forest and tundra. It consists of open stands of stunted white spruce and balsam poplar. These trees grow to within 30 kilometres of the Beaufort Sea and represent the northernmost extension of their range in Canada.