Trientalis europaea; the chickweed wintergreen is only more or less common in eastern Iceland. Usually it has 7 white petals. The Icelandic name Sjöstjarna and the Dutch name Zevenster both mean Seven-star. This is though not always the case. The first time I took a photo of this flower in eastern Iceland I noticed the flower had only 6 petals (the opening photo). A few years later I encountered the plant again in eastern-Iceland but now it had 8 petals! Luckily a few days later at Djupivogur I saw a plant with a flower with 7 petals. Characteristic for this species is also the pseudo-whorl of a few leaves along the stem. In the fourth photo this can be seen. Another characteristic element is inside the flower. There is a fringe between the stamens and the ovary/pistil which is coloured either whitish or lightly yellowish. This can best be seen on the second and third photo.
The way the plant unfolds its presence is quite peculiar. First it seems to push up - in one single jump - the leaves away from earth into the air (on a relative thick stem) and then a second push jumps the flower into the realm of light (on a slender stem). See the fourth photo.
It is a member of the Primrose family (Primulaceae).
