Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Greenland The Flowers of Kaffeklubben Island

The Flowers of Kaffeklubben Island

The world's northernmost flowers cling tenuously to life on desolate Kaffeklubben Island.

Greenland

Added By
naturedude
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Purple saxifrage   Flickr User: Brian Gratwicke
A lone Arctic poppy.   Flickr User: Smudge 9000
  Flickr User: J Brew
Papaver radicatum photograped in Greenland   Wiki User: Berland
Saxifraga oppositifolia, or purple saxifrage.   Wiki User: Michael Haferkamp
Robert Edwin Peary (1856 - 1920), polar explorer, on the main deck of steamship Roosevelt   Unknown
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On this small, glacial moraine island off the coast of Greenland's Cape Morris Jessup, specimens of Arctic Poppy and Purple Saxifrage grow in the thin, rocky soil.

Kaffeklubben Island is practically a polar desert with roughly 30-day summers. Despite these extremely inhospitable conditions, these two tiny flowering plants eek out a meager existence and persist blooming through summer lows in the high 20's Fahrenheit.

This area is so far north that it was out of the historical ranges of all Inuit and although spotted by Robert Edwin Peary in 1900, was left untouched by mankind until it was visited by Danish explorer Lauge Koch the 1921. On Kafeklubben Island, These scant meadows of Purple Saxifrage and Arctic Poppy (both of which are edible) grow with various mosses, liverworts, and lichens in a place that may take millennia to deposit a layer of soil a foot thick on top of the permafrost and gravel.

The tenacious purple saxifrage is not only perched on "the top of the world", but also hold the title for being the highest elevation plant as well. It was discovered in the Swiss alps by Swiss botanist Christian Körner at an elevation of 14,780 ft. While It is not possible to visit Kaffeklubben Island unless you are part of a sponsored expedition with full equipment, both of these horticultural tough guys can be found throughout Sweden and Norway.

Related Tags

Horticulture Flora Natural Wonders Nature Plants

Know Before You Go

It is not physically possible to visit here unless you are part of a sponsored expedition with full equipment

Community Contributors

Added By

naturedude

Edited By

Rachel, Molly McBride Jacobson, aribrown

  • Rachel
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • aribrown

Published

April 11, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://jeffshea.com/greenland-stray-dog-west-expedition/
The Flowers of Kaffeklubben Island
Greenland
83.666667, -29.833333
Visit Website

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Greenland

Greenland

Europe

Places 18
Stories 27

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Greenland

Greenland

Europe

Places 18
Stories 27

Related Places

  • Trail at Craggy.

    Black Mountain, North Carolina

    Craggy Gardens Rhododendron Tunnels

    Gnarled canopies of pink and purple wildflowers arch over the trail to the summit.

  • Râpa Roșie.

    Municipiul Sebeș, Romania

    Râpa Roșie

    Romania's "Red Ravine" is a little-known natural wonder that bears a resemblance to the Grand Canyon.

  • The Tambopata Research Center

    Tambopata, Peru

    Tambopata Research Center

    One of the most remote lodges in the Amazon offers rare wildlife encounters and undisturbed views of the Peruvian rainforest.

  • A small waterfall in the Gourgue d’Asque

    Asque, France

    Gourgue d'Asque

    A French valley with forests so lush it was nicknamed "the Small Amazonia of the Pyrenees."

  • Old Tijikko.

    Älvdalen S, Sweden

    Old Tjikko

    The world's oldest individual clonal tree looks like a wimp despite standing tall for 9,550 years.

  • Mud Volcano

    Scorțoasa, Romania

    Berca Mud Volcanoes

    A muddy alien landscape that is home to rare species of exotic plants.

  • Part of Providence Canyon from rim near entrance road

    Lumpkin, Georgia

    Providence Canyon State Outdoor Recreation Area

    Bad farming practices caused this unnatural natural wonder.

  • Red Seabeach

    Panjin Shi, China

    Red Beach

    A part of the world's largest marsh seems to be growing bright red Martian grass.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.