Botany

Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) Photograph: Hörður Kristinsson

Botany is, in essence, the study of plants. All green plants (green algae, mosses, ferns and flowering plants) fall under the scope of botany, as do red algae, brown algae and fungi. Mushrooms and other fungi are no longer classified as belonging to the plant kingdom but are still popularly referred to as plants. The IINH is charged with maintaining a record of Icelandic flora and fauna, i.e., the organisms that grow on and around the island and their distribution and ecologies. In order to carry out this task, IINH biologists conduct research on the systematics and ecologies of plants in Iceland.

More detailed information on individual IINH research projects in the field of botany is available here, along with general information on the flora of Iceland: vascular plants, mosses, lichens and fungi.