Erasmus project on the biogeography of Greenland’s national plant, the Dwarf Fireweed Chamerion latifolium

This autumn Erasmus student Minke Oostermeijer has begun a project to study the biogeography of Chamerion latifolium (Onagraceae). This plant inhabits many Artic and sub-Arctic regions including North America and central and northeastern Eurasia. Because if its widespread distribution in Greenland and ability to tolerate harsh environments, the evolutionary history of this species in Greenland is of particular interest.

Using population genetic methods we will i) assess the origin of the populations of C. latifolium in Greenland, ii) estimate the age of the species in Greenland, and iii) assess past and ongoing genetic connectivity of C. latifolium within Greenland and outside Greenland. 

​The outcomes will increase the understanding of the origin, dispersal routes and mechanisms of C. latifolium in context of the glacial history of Greenland.