Clubmosses	horsetails	true ferns

The ferns consists of three basic groups:
1) the  clubmosses: more or less creeping stems with small dense folliage. The link first leads to the Alpine Clubmoss, from where you can easily find and identify other clubmoss species.
2) the  horsetails: typically plants with a leafless stems or a stems from which spread needle like side branches. Spore forming organs are conically placed on the top of the stems. The link first leads to the Field Horsetail, from where you can easily find and identify other horsetail species.
3) the  true ferns (leafy plants, leaves (fronds) are usually divided in leaflets. Stems very short usually not visible. The spore forming organs are normally on the bottom side of the leaves. The link first leads to the Brittle Bladder-fern, from where you can easily find and identify other fern species.

Juniper	Birch trees	Dwarf Birch	Rowan tree

Typically woody species (trees and bushes) consist of birches, rowans, willows, Juniper and heather species. Introduced pine species are not treated. Both in the willow and heather group there are a few species which are generally not regarded as woody species. Nevertheless grouped together.
1)  Birches, rowan, willows and Juniper; Birches and willows both have sexually single type catkins. The rowan is actually member of the rose family while the Juniper is a pine related species. This link starts with the downy birch

Dwarf Willow	Woolly Willow	Bluish Willow	Tea-leaved Willow

Four  willow species are common on Iceland. Three are bushes but these sometimes tend to stay low where conditions are unfavourable (open country prone to storms). The link starts with the smallest almost herb like species: Salix herbaceae, dwarf willow

Bearberry	northern (bog) bilberry	Trailing azalea	Crowberry

Thumbnails above link to descriptions of some but not all heather species on this site. They serve as examples. The full list is presented together with the descriptions

Most  Heather species on Iceland are dwarf shrubs but there are a few herb-like species as well. The corolla's of the flowers are more or less tubular. The link starts with cassiope - a white flowered small herb-like plant.

The choripetalae are large group of herbs. In this section two related families are treated: the goosefoot and dock/sorrel family.

Oraches	Mountain sorrel	northern dock	Iceland-purslane	alpine bistort

  Goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae): On Iceland there are only two rather common species. Both are coastal plants often growing on sandy beach soils over flood deposits. Small inconspicuous green or reddish flowers grouped together. The first to the Long-stalked Orache (Atriplex longipes fromwhere you can easily identify the other Orache species and the dock/sorrel species.
  Dock family (Polygonaceae): Rather small reddish or white flowers clustered in dense inflorescenses. The link leads first to the mountain sorrel fromwhere you can easily identify other dock/sorrel species and the orache species of the goosefoot family.

The choripetalae are large group of herbs. This section introduces the saxifrage family, the rose family, the buttercup family and the stonecrop family. They are grouped in the following links:

Marsh Saxifrage Saxifragaceae	mountain avens Rosaceae	Pigmy buttercup Ranunculaceae	Biting Stonecrop Crassulaceae

 Saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae): Starry flowers usually (creamy-)white but two species are yellow and one purple. The calyx is often fused at the bottom. The link starts off with a very common species: tufted saxifrage (Saxifraga caespitosa). From the listing appearing on the left you can easily find and identify other saxifraga's
 Rose family (Rosaceae). It is very difficult - if not impossible - to name a single feature for identifying a plant as a member of the rose family. Common species on Iceland are lady's-mantle's, Cinquefoils and Mountain&Water Avens. The link starts with the mountain avens from where you can find the other members of the rose family on Iceland.
 Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) and Poppy family (Papaveraceae). Buttercups on Iceland are usually yellow-flowered or white (be aware of cinquefoils of the Rose family with superficially similar flowers). A common but rather strange little plant is the alpine meadow-rue which has one row of small purple flower leaves. The link start with the alpine meadow-rue from where one can easily find and identify other buttercups. The poppy family is also included in this list. The common poppy on Iceland is the  Arctic Poppy (Papaver radicatum)
 Stonecrop family (Crassulaceae). Typically the members of this family have fleshy leaves. It includes three stonecrops (Sedum) species and the rose root (Rhodiola rosea). The link starts with the rose root from where you can find the other stonecops.

The choripetalae are large group of herbs. This section introduces the willowherb family, the umbel family and the pea family. They are grouped in the following links:

Arctic riverbeauty Onagraceae	chickweed willowherb Onagraceae	Garden angelica Umbelliferae	Nootka lupin Fabaceae/Papillionaceae

 Willowherb family (Onagraceae): a family of mainly bluish/purplish flowers. Very typical for willowherbs is that the flowers are placed on top of a long stretched fruit. The fruits generally have more or less the same colour as the flowers (purplish). The link starts with a very pretty willowherb: the arctic riverbeauty from where you can find the other willowherb species
 Parsley = carrot family (Umbelliferae): Typically for this family is the combination of compound leaves and umbel shaped inflorescense's, hence the family name Umbelliferae. The link starts with the garden angelica
 Pea family (Fabaceae also known as Papillionaceae): The members of the Pea family have a unique flower structure and fruits (pod fruits). The flower petals consists of a usually large top petal two side petals and a boat shaped bottom petal in which lies a colomn of the stamens and pistil with the early pod fruit. The link starts with the common - but introduced - Nootkin Lupine. Other common species are clovers, sea pea and tufted vetch.

Within the group of families with freee petals the pink and mustard family are quite distant groups. Pink family-members for example alway have opposite leaf-pairs, members of the mustard family never. Also the fruits are very different: the pink family members heve box-like capsules that open on the top Mustard family have silicles usually opening from the bottom/side. The reason I grouped them here together is that they both have a lot of family-members with rather small white flowers. However, both have species with other flower colors.

Examples of mustard family species:

Lady Smock	Hawkweed-leaved Treaclemustard	Alpine Rock-cress	Northern Rock-cress	Snow Whitlowgrass

 Mustard family (Cruciferae): The link opens with the Lady Smock from where you can cruise to other mustard family-members.

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Examples of Pink family members

Alpine-catchfly	Moss Campion	Sea Campion	Alpine Mouse-ear	Knotted Pearlwort

 Pink family (Caryophyllaceae): The link starts with the very common cushion plant, the pink flowering Moss Campion, from where you can surf to other, mostly white flowered, pink family-members.

Wild Pansy	Alpine Marsh Violet introducing all viola's	Northern Marsh Violet	Heath Dog Violet

On Iceland four violet species are common. On the page of the Alpine Marsh Violet (V. palustris) the differences between the species are described. The link to this species is here.

Wood Crane's-bill	Mare's-tail	Dwarf Cornel	Sea Plantain	Chickweed Wintergreen

In this section we wrap up the remaining species with flowers having free petals. Most species here are only distantly related. This link starts with the Wood Crane's-Bill

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Alpine Gentian Gentiana nivalis	Slender Gentian Gentianella tenella	Field gentian Gentianella campestris	Northern Gentian Gentianella aurea	Autumn Gentian Gentianella amarella

Gentians (family: Gentianaceae) are typically summer-flowering plants. The thumbnails above are a some of the Icelandic Gentians. There are more though which you can find from the list that goes with each indivudual page of any Gentian species. The following link starts with the Arctic fellwort (Lomatogonium rotatum)

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The thumbnails below link to Speedwell (Veronica) species of Iceland
Rock Speedwell Veronica fructans	Alpine Speedwell Veronica alpina	Heath Speedwell Veronica officinalis	Marsh Speedwell Veronica scutellata	Thyme-leaved Speedwell Veronica serpyllifolia

Speedwells belong to the Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae). Unlike other members of this family on Iceland, the speedwells have flowers with equally spreading petals around the flower-base. Other Figwort family-members have flowers which have a left-right symmetry. Very characteristic for this genus are the heart-shaped fruits.

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The thumbnails below are examples of figwort species on Iceland other than speedwells
Alpine Bartsia Bartsia alpina	Cold Eyebright Euphrasia frigida	Upright Lousewort Pedicularis flammea	Yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor

These figwort species are semi-parasites: they tap their own root system into the roots of other plants in order to acquire (steal) nutrients from these other plants (often grasses). Unlike the more or less stars-haped flowers of the speedwells these have flowers with a left/right symmetry.

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The thumbnails below link to mint species of Iceland
Wild Thyme Thymus praecox	Selfheal Prunella vulgaris

The number of mint species growing in the wild on Iceland is small. That is ofcoarse because generally members of the mint family are warmth loving species. Having said this though it should be noted that the arctic thyme (a subspecies of the wild thyme) is very common all over Iceland where plant-growth contions are not extremely tough.

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The thumbnails below link to daisy (Compositae) species with yellow flowers (or at least with a yellow heart). The thumbnails shown are examples. There are more in the list. Just follow any lead.
Sea Mayweed Matricaria maritima	Pineappleweed Matricaria discoidea	Alpine Hawkweed Hieracium alpinum	Autumn Hawkbit Leontodon autumnalis	Colt's-Foot Tussilago farfara

The daisy family (Compositae) is a very large family. Characteristic for this family is that (very) many single flowers are grouped together in a flower head which in turn resembles a single flower. This is accentuated by the fact that often the outer ring of the flowers on the head have one long petiole. The ring of these petioles of single flowers on the rim of the head make the head appear to be just one flower (think of the sunflower). This is not always the case (see for example the pineappleweed). The first lead here leads to the all to common dandelion.

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The thumbnails below link to daisy (Compositae) species with flower colors other than yellow.
Yarrow Achillea millefolium	Alpine Fleabane Erigeron borealis	Dwarf Fleabane Erigeron uniflorus	Dwarf Cudweed Omalotheca supina	Perennial Cornflower Centaurea montana

Apart from yellow daisies the family of the compositae have many members with very different colors. Opening a page of any of the species from the thumbnails above also shows a list of other non-yellow flowering daisies. The link here starts with the Alpine Fleabane (Erigeron borale). A common roadside plant is the Yarrow.

Wintergreens & bedstraws:

Common Wintergreen Pyrola minor	Serrated Wintergreen Orthilia secunda	Northern bedstraw Galium boreale	Slender bedstraw Galium normanii	Lady's Bedstraw Galium verum

There are three more or less common wintergreen species. Alas I still miss the more rare Pyrola grandiflora (Arctic wintergreeen). The link here starts with the common wintergreen (P. minor).
Bedstraws are common on Iceland too. The link here start with the Northern Bedstraw (Galium boreale)

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Follows the remaining herbs with fused petals

Thrift Armeria maritima	Common Butterwort Pinguicula vulgaris	Oyster plant Mertensia maritima	Field Forget-me-not Myosotis arvensis	Harebell Campanula rotundifolia

This wrap-up combines rather unrelated species having fused petals. Some however, are very common on Iceland, like Thrift (Armeria maritima)and the insectivorous Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris).

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Lily family and closely related to the lily family members.

Herb Paris Paris quadrifolia	Scottish asphodel Tofieldia pusilla

The number of species belonging to the Lily family or any closely related family growing in the wild on Iceland is very limited. Very common though is the Scottish asphodel (Tofieldia pusilla). The Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia) is much more rare. It can be found in lava crevasses.

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Rushes
Due to their leaf-forms, rushes appear at first glance to be something like grasses or sedges. Close inspection on flowers show they have - be it small - neat 6 floral leaves like the lily-like flowers - very different to the complex spike(lets) inflorescences of sedges and grasses.

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First: the Luzula rushes
These rushes have grass-blade leaves

Heath Wood-rush Luzula multiflora	Sudetan Wood-rush Luzula sudetica	Spiked Wood-rush Luzula spicata

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Second: the Juncus rushes (three exampes, just link to any get the full list) These rushes have hollow-pointed leaves

Jointed Rush Juncus articulatus	Iceland Rush Juncus arcticus ssp. intermedius	Alpine Rush Juncus alpinus

Orchids

Frog Orchid Coeloglossum viride	Heath Spotted Orchid Dactylorhiza maculata ssp. intermedius	Northern Green Orchid Platanthera hyperborea	Small-white orchid Pseudorchis albida	Coralroot orchid Corallorhiza trifida

There are many sedges and grass secies on Iceland. Below are a few examples but you can find many more by following any lead in the list presented there.

First some examples of sedges (click randomly to get the full list).

Common Sedge Carex nigra	Stiff Sedge Carex bigelowii	White Sedge Carex curta	Scheuchzer's cottongrass Eriophorum scheuchzeri	Common Spike-rush Eleocharis palustris

Second, below are examples of grass species (click randomly to get the full list).
This section is still very much under construction.

Timothy Phleum pratense	Holy grass Hierochloe odorata	Alpine Cat's-tail Phleum alpinum	Alpine Meadow-grass Poa alpina	Lyme-grass Leymus arenarius