Tundlikele

Tundlikele is a term used in speculative botany to describe a hypothetical tundra-dwelling flowering plant genus. In this fictional framework, tundlikele is a monotypic genus represented by the species Tundlikele arctica. The designation is used to illustrate adaptation of cushion plants to extreme Arctic conditions rather than to record an actual organism.

Tundlikele arctica is imagined as a low-growing evergreen perennial that forms dense mats. Plants reach up to 8 cm in height and 30 cm across. Leaves are small, scale-like, 2–5 mm, with a glaucous coating. Flowers are inconspicuous, solitary, pale yellow to white, about 3–4 mm in diameter, opening for a short Arctic summer.

It is described as endemic to high-latitude tundra regions, on well-drained, rocky or gravelly soils over permafrost. It tolerates extreme temperature fluctuations and short growing seasons. Reproduction is illustrated by a combination of sexual seed set under favorable years and clonal spread through rhizome-like runners in some accounts.

Taxonomy and etymology: The genus was proposed by a fictional botanist, C. Frost, in a 1997 hypothetical monograph; the name combines "tundra" with a coined suffix -likele to denote tundra-like habit. It is not recognized by current taxonomic databases.

Ecology and conservation: In the imagined ecosystem, tundlikele supports soil stabilization and microhabitat diversity within mossy tundra mats. Climate change scenarios in speculative treatments portray increased melt and nutrient pulses as potential threats, leading to vulnerability in some contexts.