Russian Arctic desert

The Cherskii-Kolyma mountain tundra is a Palearctic tundra ecoregion occupying the higher elevations of the Chersky Range and the Kolyma Mountains in northeastern Russia, a mosaic of montane terrain that also takes in the Verkhoyansk, Ulakhan-Chistay, and Moma ranges and stretches roughly 2,000 km from the Lena River eastward and 1,000 km from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Arctic coast. Vegetation is arranged by elevation: scattered Dahurian larch reaches up to about 1,000 meters, giving way to a belt of dwarf Siberian pine along with Siberian alder, Rhododendron aureum, and shrub birch, and then to lichen-rich alpine tundra with heather and mountain-avens above the treeline. The climate is severe subarctic and entirely underlain by permafrost, with winter temperatures among the coldest on Earth, brief cool summers, and low annual precipitation. The endangered great knot serves as the ecoregion's flagship species, and the rugged terrain shelters reindeer, snow sheep, brown bears, wolverines, and Arctic foxes. Protection is uneven and concentrated in the west, leaving southern and eastern areas exposed to mining and infrastructure pressure, with the Magadan Nature Reserve guarding the southern edge along the Sea of Okhotsk.

The Chukchi Peninsula tundra spans the northern coast of far northeastern Russia, reaching to Cape Dezhnev, the easternmost point of mainland Asia, and is broken by ranges such as the Chukotka and Anyuskiy mountains. Lying north of the treeline, it is dominated by lichen- and moss-rich tundra rather than trees, with low mountain communities of pincushion plant, alpine azalea, alpine cranberry, eight-petal mountain-avens, and netleaf willow, while coastal zones support dwarf birch and sedges. The climate is harsh and permafrost-bound, with sharp, shifting cold winds, very low annual precipitation, and only brief summers when sea influence nudges daytime temperatures just above freezing. Despite these conditions the region holds remarkable diversity, including hundreds of recorded lichen and moss species, Beringian endemic plants, and fauna such as Siberian bighorn sheep, polar bears, and breeding migratory geese and ducks. Notably, relict species like redcurrant and common oak fern persist near hot springs, a reminder of how sheltered microclimates can host plants well outside their expected range.

The Kamchatka Tundra ecoregion blankets the higher elevations of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East, draped across the central Sredinny Range and the eastern Vostochniy range, a volcanic land studded with more than twenty active volcanoes. Erman's birch (Betula ermanii) forms a zonal forest belt on the mountain flanks, giving way upslope to dwarf Siberian pine thickets, dwarf alder and willow tundra, and dwarf-shrub communities of bog bilberry, dwarf birch, and crowberry mixed with mat-forming lichens. The climate is subarctic and snow-laden, with North Pacific cyclones delivering heavy precipitation spread through the year and snowdrifts that can pile remarkably deep. This is recognized as the southernmost large expanse of Arctic tundra floral community in the world, and parts of it are safeguarded within the Kronotsky Nature Reserve and the Volcanoes of Kamchatka World Heritage Site. For cold-climate gardeners, the region's native flora includes ornamental cushion plants such as blue and Aleutian mountain heath and wedgeleaf primrose that flush briefly into bloom as the deep snow patches melt.

The Kola Peninsula tundra is a Palearctic tundra ecoregion spanning the northern and northeastern Kola Peninsula of northwestern Russia and reaching into the northeasternmost tip of Norway, where coastal lowlands meet the Barents Sea to the north and the White Sea along the eastern and southeastern edge. The only trees are sparse woodlands of low, crooked birch, including dwarf birch, while the open ground is carpeted with lichens, mosses, and dwarf shrubs such as mountain crowberry, bilberry, cowberry (lingonberry), alpine bearberry, alpine azalea, and Swedish dwarf cornel, alongside cloudberry. The climate is humid continental of the cool-summer subtype, with long, cold winters and short, cool summers. The ecoregion's flagship species is the Steller's eider, and its sheer coastal cliffs host vast nesting colonies of seabirds including black-legged kittiwakes and murres; protected areas include the Kandalaksha Nature Reserve in Russia and Varangerhalvoya National Park in Norway. For cold-climate gardeners, several hardy native groundcovers grow here, among them lingonberry, bilberry, bearberry, and cloudberry.

The Northeast Siberian coastal tundra stretches across the Arctic coastal plain of northeastern Sakha (Yakutia) in Russia, running roughly from the Lena River delta eastward to the Kolyma delta and bordering the Laptev and East Siberian Seas. It is a low-growing tundra of dwarf shrubs, grasses, sedges, and mosses, with polar and gray willow thickets, dwarf birch, and isolated stands of Dahurian larch reaching in from the south. The entire region sits on continuous permafrost, where only a shallow surface layer thaws each summer, producing thermokarst lakes, hummocks, polygonal ridges, and bogs under a cold subarctic-to-tundra climate. Its large river deltas are vital breeding grounds for migratory birds, including the critically endangered Siberian crane, and it holds the largest wild population of tundra reindeer. For gardeners, several cold-hardy genera native here are familiar in northern and rock gardens, among them mountain avens (Dryas), willows (Salix), and Vaccinium.

The Northwest Russian-Novaya Zemlya tundra stretches roughly 1,000 km along the north coast of European Russia, from the White Sea-bound Kanin Peninsula eastward toward the Yugorsky and Yamal peninsulas, and takes in Barents Sea islands including Kolguyev and the southern half of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. This is mostly lowland tundra of extensive marshes, lakes, and coastal meadows, dominated by characteristic shrub, moss, and lichen communities, with small stands of Siberian spruce, willow, and dwarf birch in floodplain areas and on the islands. The climate is humid continental with long, cold winters and short, cool summers, averaging about -20 C in January and roughly 13 C in July. The region is a major nesting ground for migratory geese, swans, and ducks; its flagship is the Bewick's swan, and the vulnerable lesser white-fronted goose occurs on the Kanin Peninsula, with the Nenets Nature Reserve protecting the Pechora River delta. For gardeners, the dwarf birch and willows native here are among the hardy woody plants suited to cold, boggy northern ground.