A non-profit organization to promote the study and conservation of Alaska native plants.
The Alaska Native Plant Society (AKNPS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to studying and conserving Alaska native plants. General membership meetings are open to the public and are held on the first Monday of every month from October through May. Various guest speakers give presentations on topics related to native plants and AKNPS members give informative slide shows, plant family, and mini- botany talks. During our October meeting, members share photos from their summer adventures. See our Recent News to learn about recent activities.
There are numerous volunteer opportunities including leading public hikes, invasive plants control, plantings and cooperative work with other local groups. Local events are listed on the Upcoming Events page.
General Information
The Alaska Native Plant Society was formed in 1982 by a small group of enthusiastic amateur and professional botanists for the purpose of educating Alaskans about their native flora and the growing need for its protection. We accomplish this through:
- Monthly meetings, held on the first Monday of each month, October through May (with occasional exceptions due to holidays), at 7 PM via Zoom and/or in person at the Campbell Creek Science Center in Anchorage. All interested persons are welcome.
- Field Trips, ranging from half day local outings to multi-day excursions throughout Alaska. Some prior trips have been to Kodiak, Seldovia, Chitina / Kennicott, and Denali National Park.
- Displays at local malls during “Celebrating Wildflowers” periods.
- Publication of Borealis, our bi-monthly newsletter for members, October through May.
- Compilation of Alaskan flora references in a bibliography.
- Recommended publications for Alaskans interested in collecting seed and propagating native plants.
- This website which is an ongoing project for which volunteers are welcome.
Recent News
Next week is Alaska Invasive Species Awareness Week! To get our brains ready, here is a fun fact shared today via the Alaska Invasive Species Partnership.
In Anchorage? Interested in native plants for your garden? Head over to the Wildflower Garden Club of Alaska plant sale this morning at 1300 Benson.
Each week during #AKNativePlantMonth, we've celebrated one remarkable Alaska native plant. This is our final post in the series, and we dedicate it to the memory of Dominique M. Collet, who wrote two essential guides to Alaska willows and passed away earlier this month.
Each of Alaska's 52 willow species can be celebrated for the myriad benefits they provide insects, birds and other wildlife. We chose to highlight Scouler's willow this year because of its important role as a pollinator plant that sustains early-emerging native bees in Southcentral and Interior Alaska.
An entire summer lies ahead to celebrate and learn about willows and other Alaska native plants. We hope you will join us and share your enthusiasm with fellow Alaskans!
📷 courtesy Elizabeth Bluemink
Further reading:
+ Collet, Dominique M. 2002. Willows of Southcentral Alaska
+ Collet, Dominique M. 2004. Willows of Interior Alaska
+ Tunseth, Matt. 2019. The pussy willows are budding on Mt. Baldy — is it springtime already? Chugiak-Eagle River Star
On Wednesdays during #AKNativePlantMonth, we're highlighting a few of the 2,500-plus native plants in different parts of Alaska.
Sedges including Lyngbye's (Carex lyngbyei) and Hoppner (C. subspathacea) are among the important native plants that sustain healthy Alaska wildlife populations.
Carex (sedges) is one of the largest genera of flowering plants in the world and its individual species can be difficult to identify in the field! Also, many people confuse grasses, sedges and rushes. A common saying is, "Sedges have edges and rushes are round. Grasses are hollow straight to the ground!"
📷 courtesy Declan Troy
Further reading:
+ Macander, Matthew J et al. “Time-series maps reveal widespread change in plant functional type cover across Arctic and boreal Alaska and Yukon.” 2022 Environ. Res. Lett. 17 054042
+ Tande, Gerald and Lipkin, Robert. 2003. Wetland Sedges of Alaska
It's Week 4 of #AKNativePlantMonth and we're excited to share some activities that you can join around Alaska!
+ A Cooperative Extension Service webinar at noon, Wednesday, on landscaping for our native birds. Register: https://bit.ly/LandscapingforBirds
+ Volunteer event from 9 to noon, Saturday, potting white spruce seedlings at Government Hill Commons in Anchorage (see flier)
+ Free white spruce seedlings available on Saturday throughout Anchorage: http://www.mrwhitekeys.com/trees.html
+ An iNaturalist project documenting spring-blooming trees and shrubs. It's a statewide bioblitz, open to all: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/spring-blooming-trees-and-shrubs-of-alaska
More info: https://bit.ly/AKnativeplantmonth
On Wednesdays during #AKNativePlantMonth, we're highlighting a few of the 2,500-plus native plants in different parts of Alaska.
Rubus chamaemorus is a plant with many names. Alaskans may call it salmonberry or cloudberry, depending on where they live, and when it comes to common names, there is no "wrong" name! The plant's Indigenous names include atsat (Yup'ik) and aqpik (Iñupiaq).
Some urban Alaskans are unfamiliar with this berry, but in many parts of rural Alaska, it is critical subsistence food. A 2012 Alaska Department of Fish & Game survey estimated nearly 21,000 pounds of salmonberries were harvested in Bethel that year (twice that of blueberries).
Is this YOUR favorite berry? What do you call it? Did you know some people even call it bakeapple? Tell us more in the comments!
📷 courtesy Steve Backus
Further reading:
ADFG Subsistence Information System (Bethel, Alaska 2012 dataset): http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sb/CSIS/
Fienup-Riordan, Ann et al. 2020. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Southwest Alaska
Karst, AL, JA Antos and G Allen. 2008. “Sex ratio, flowering and fruit set in dioecious Rubus chamaemorus (Rosaceae) in Labrador.” Botany 86: 204-212
