Native Plants of Sweden

Sweden has a rich connection to Botany. It was a Swedish citizen, Carl Linnaeus, who began the development of the system used to classify plants and animals while a student and, later, a professor at Uppsala University. Today, Sweden is still known for its coniferous forests and rich variety of flora and fauna.

Anemone Nemorosa

Locally known as Vitsippa, Anemone nemorosa is a bright white Swedish flower with a yellow center that blooms from mid-April to mid-May. This delicate-looking Swedish plant has a tough running root right below the ground, which allows it to spread rapidly, sometimes covering entire hillsides. Anemone nemorosa spreads its petals wide during the day, but closes and droops at night or during rainfall to protect it from damage from the heavy water drops of rain and dew.

Ranunculus Acris

Smorblomma, often called by its scientific name Ranunculus acris or the English name Upright Meadow Crowfoot, is a Swedish flower native across Northern Europe. In Sweden, this bright yellow flower has a very long blooming season, with a cup of flowers atop a tall green stalk that lasts from June until September. Although it is pretty and not dangerous, this Swedish plant should be handled with care or preferably not at all, since it can irritate the skin on contact.

Picea Abies

One of the most surprising native Swedish plants is the Picea abies or Norway spruce. Up until recently, the Norway spruce was thought to be a newcomer to Sweden, but scientists recently found a spruce tree that is 9,500 years old. Norway spruce trees are able to push new trunks out of the soil should one be damaged or killed by a particularly harsh winter or some other natural event. This adaptation has allowed a single tree to live in Sweden for nearly 10,000 years and other stands of Norway spruce's to live for 8,000 years.