There was a tundra ecosystem in Antarctica until around 12 million years ago, when it got covered in ice and became too cold to support most life. The only two flowering plants known to still survive in Antarctica are Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthis quitensis.

Interestingly, Antarctica wasn't always at the south pole. It once had a tropical, then later a temperate climate, so there are likely some very interesting animal fossils hiding beneath the ice (assuming they weren't destroyed by repeated freeze-thaw cycles).