The Nordic Über-flora

“Den nya nordiska floran” is Bo Mossberg's and Lennart Stenberg's Über-flora for the Nordic countries, here defined as Scandinavia, Finland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Svalbard. The flora is intended for the general public, and all 3,250 species included seems to have been illustrated in color. The flora covers seed plants plus ferns and their allies. It's a wholly revised edition of “Den nordiska floran”, another mammoth work by the same authors.

Bo Mossberg is a distinguished, award-winning illustrator. He has worked on several “classical” Swedish floras. The illustrations in this particular work took him about 15 years to complete, working full time! But yes, he did cheat a bit, since the orchid section uses the same illustrations as an earlier book on that specific group. Mossberg is so well known in Sweden that his name is mentioned on the book cover before that of the actual writer, Lennart Stenberg, a biologist and ex-chemist who headed the botanical department of the Swedish Museum of Natural History when the flora was published.

The aim of “Den nya nordiska floran” is obviously to make a botany version of Heinzel, Fitter and Parslow's detailed field guide to European birds, a guide notorious for including virtually any vagrant birdie you're likely to encounter anywhere between the Green Island and the Caspian Sea. Likewise, Mossberg's and Stenberg's flora include not only indigenous Nordic plants, but also escapees from gardens, or actual garden cultivars surviving at abandoned property lots! Thus, the American purple pitcher plant grows at a few locations in Sweden (including Gammelstorp at Blekinge) and has therefore been bestowed with a full-size color illustration. Even the date palm has been included, since it sprouts at garbage dumps in southern Sweden (the sprouts die at the onset of winter). Just in case, species that are “previously known” from the Nordic area has been included, too, such as the Russian rose “Rosa jundzillii”, since one specimen was found at Stora Karlsö about 150 years ago. If you ever see it again, you know who you gonna call!

Naturally, not even the Perfect Flora can include literally *all* species of seed plant (or fern) found on our distant shores. Thus, there are – wait for it – 900 apomictic species of dandelions in Norden, hardly surprising since this notorious weed apparently reproduces asexually (that's what “apomictic” means), presumably cheating evolution in the process. Only a few dandelions have been included, most of them eerily similar. The only exception is the cool Arctic Dandelion which spouts white flowers and grows at Svalbard. OK, let me guess. Mr Mossberg didn't want to spend 15 years (full time) painting dandelions? He has my sympathy and understanding…

“Den nya nordiska floran” can be found in well-stashed Swedish public libraries, and while it's too heavy to bring out in the field (or to an abandoned property lot near you), it's probably a must have for all serious plant collectors, nature romantics or botany students.