Trailing arbutus

Andy's Northern Ontario Wildflowers Plants in a Coniferous Forest "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking." Albert Einstein

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Habitat: Illustrated on this page are some northern Ontario alien wildflowers that occur in a coniferous forest. Coniferous stands occur across Ontario and are abundant in the boreal forest that covers much of northern Ontario. The coniferous forest has acid soil derived of sandy material, pine needles, and sometimes swampy or wet mosses. Low-lying areas are wet and contain abundant sphagnum moss or other plants that tolerate acid water conditions. Higher areas or rock outcrops are covered by shallow, sandy, mineral soil that lacks organic material. Some rocky areas may be bare exposed rock that are covered by mosses that acquire nutrients directly from the rocks they cover. Rain water quickly runs off the higher areas and the soil dries out quickly. These areas approach desert-like conditions during periods of drought. Evening temperatures are generally cool, but day-time temperatures in the summer may be very hot. Winter temperatures may drop as low as -40C. Snow cover is 1-3m, depending on the area. Plants are adapted to acid soil and the lack of nutrients. Language of Flowers: The word pine means "time", endurance", "daring", and "pity". Source Click here for more habitat information: Plants that grow on the dry rocky areas or on the pine forest floor: Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) Reindeer Lichen (Cladina rangiferina) Rock Tripe (Umbilicaria mammulata) Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) Common (Ground) Juniper (Juniperus communis) Common juniper berries Ground Pine (Lycopodium dendroideum) Common Club-moss (Lycopodium clavatum) Southern ground cedar ( Diphasiastrum digitatum) Arbutus, trailing (Epigaea repens) Lady's slipper, pink (Cypripedium acaule) Fringed polygala (Polygala paucifolia) Lesser pyrola (Pyrola minor) One-sided Pyrola (Pyrola secunda) Green-leaved rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera oblongifolia) Alaska Orchid (Piperia unalascensis or Habenaria unalascensis) Pinesap (Monotropa hypopithys) One-flowered Wintergreen (Moneses uniflora) Spurred Gentian (Halenia deflexa)

Typical forest floor in a pine forest.  Note the lack of under growth because of the low light and the acid conditions.  The acid conditions result from the pine needle litter. Location: Burwash Date: October 7, 2000.

Plants that grow in, or beside, the pine forest on dry rocky areas or on the dry forest floor.
Bearberry; also known as Bears' Grape,  Mountain Box, and Kinnikinick; low trailing shrub. Flower:White or pink in terminal clusters; bell-shaped; drooping; 5 fused petals; 5 mm long; May-July. Leaves: Evergreen; 1-4 cm long; smooth, leathery, thick; green on both sides; rounded tip; 1 - 4 cm long. Stem: Woody stems that lie on the ground; has many branches covered with dark flaky bark; forms large mats. Fruit: Dull red berry that is edible, but that are dry and mealy. Habitat: Prefers the coniferous forest with a rocky or sandy soil.  Bearberry also occurs on rocky areas and old beach transitions areas related to alvars on Manitoulin Island. Interest: A wash of bearberry leaves is a folk remedy to stop the spread of poison-ivy rash. A wash of bearberry leaves is a folk remedy to stop the spread of poison-ivy rash. The leaves were also used as a tobacco substitute. A yellow dye can be made from the leaves of Bearberry. The Latin name means "bear-cluster, the grape of a bear". Return to list
	Bearberry - low ground cover over sandy or rocky areas. Location: Lorne Falls Date: September 25, 2004. Return to list
Bearberry fruit. In Ojibway, the plant is called "bear cub berry". (Source: Andy Yesno, Eabametoong First Nation) Location: Eabametoong First Nation (Fort Hope) Date: September 26, 2002. Click here for more insight to the Eabametoong Fist Nation. Return to list
Bunchberry; also known as Bunchberry Dogwood, Dwarf Dogwood, Canadian Bunchberry, Dogwood Bunchberry. Perennial; member of the Dogwood Family. Flower: Greenish tiny cluster surrounded by 4 white, 1-2 cm long petal-like bracts; June-July Leaves: Opposite, but at top of stem; 4-6; egg-shaped to oblong and taper to point and base, parallel veined. Although not rigorous, our observation is that all plants with fruit have 6 leaves, whereas barren plants have 4 leaves. Stem: From creeping root-stalk, flowering stem 10-20 cm high Height: hugs ground to 20 cm tall. Fruit: Red; late summer (see following photos). Habitat: Cool mixed forest, from deciduous to coniferous; less commonly in open areas adjacent to the forest edge. Interest: spreads by rhizomes.  Many people think that there is a single, large white flower on this plant. However, the four white "petals" are not part of the flower at all. They are white-coloured bracts. The actual flower consists of a dense cluster of greenish flowers in the centre of the four white bracts. The Latin name Cornus comes from the Latin word, cornu, meaning "horn, antler" and canadensis, from the Latin, "of Canada". Return to list
Bunch berry prefers to grow in shaded areas. In this photo, a large carpet of bunch berry plants grow in the shade under a birch tree. Location: Burwash Date: June 13, 2004 Return to list	Bunch berry fruit. Note the 6 leaves of the fertile plants. Location: Trout Lake road Date: August 7, 2002 Return to list
	Reindeer Lichen Shrub lichen with a round stem with numerous branches. Has an ash-grey coloured surface. Height: 6 to 10 cm tall.   Return to list See also page on Moss & lichen
Rock Tripe Circular leaf lichen, up to 30 cm in diameter; leathery when wet, brittle when dry. Attached to rock by a central stalk. Upper surface is brown to green when fresh; lower surface is black. Height: Flat. Return to list
	Wintergreen; also known as Box Berry,  Mountain tea, Checkerberry, Deerberry, Eastern Teaberry, Ground Holly, Mountain Tea, Creeping Wintergreen, Ground Tea, Partridge-Berry, Redberry Wintergreen, Spice Berry, Teaberry, and Winisibugons (Ojibwe meaning  "dirty leaf"); evergreen shrub. Family Heath (Ericaceae) Flower: White with 5 small lobes at tip; single, 5-8 mm long; nodding below the leaves; looks like a hanging bell; June - July. Fruit: Round, red-coloured berry; 10 mm diameter; ripens in September; the fruit matures during the winter. Leaves: Alternate, common near the tips of erect branches; have short stalk; simple; oval; rounded to pointed at tip; leathery; 1-5 cm long; leathery when mature; dark green and shiny. See following photo. Stem: Slender, creeping on, or just below, the surface; woody stem. Height: 5 - 15 cm. Habitat: Coniferous forest, mossy areas on rocky outcrops, open shade, dry or moist sites in pine woods, sandy, acid soil (pH 5 to 6), dry to wet woods and clearings, peaty bogs,  swamps. Interest: The leaves have been used as a tea substitute. The leaves have the flavour of wintergreen when chewed. This flavour occurs because a glucoside (substances that produce sugar) in the leaf breaks down in water to produce methyl salicylate. Compounds from this methyl salicylate are used to make methanol, which used in food flavorings and preservatives, compounds used in suntan lotions, and to make acetylsalicylic acid, also called "aspirin". Flower Location: Makynen Road Date: August 5, 2002. Berry location: Burwash Date: April 14, 2006 Return to list
Patch of wintergreen with red fruit. Interest: The Latin name procumbens means prostrate, referring to the shrubs low-growing habit. A traditional Native American remedy for aching limbs, fever, sore throats, and sore stomach. Has a menthol flavour and was a substitute for imported tea and to flavour chewing gum and toothpaste. Wintergreen oil in the leaves contain methyl salicylate, a pain- and inflammation-relieving compound. Location: Burwash Date: May 18, 2003. Return to list
	Partridgeberry Small trailing vine, less than 0.5 m long. Flower: White to purple tinged, tubular; hairs inside flower; usually 4 spreading lobes, but as many as 8 in some cases; 10-15 cm long, fragrant; in pairs; June-July. Fruit: Bright red double berries; August-September (see following images). Leaves: Opposite, evergreen; rounded and blunt tip; 1-2.5 cm long and about the same width; smooth, dark green, toothless. Location: Burwash Date: October 14, 2000.  Return to list
Partridgeberry flower - note the twin flowers on each stem. Location: Burwash Date: June 30, 2003  Return to list	Partridgeberry flower node, about 1 week before the white flowers opened. Location: Burwash Date: June 24, 2001  Return to list
Partridgeberry red fruit. Location: Burwash Date: December 16, 2001.  Return to list	Partridgeberry flower carpet. Location: Burwash Date: June 30, 2003  Return to list
Common Juniper Shrub; also known as  Dwarf Juniper, Mountain Common Juniper, Old Field Common Juniper, Prostrate Juniper, Gorst, Ground juniper, Hackmatack, Horse savin, Juniper, Juniper bush. Low coniferous evergreen shrub; trailing branches. Leaves: Stiff and prickly needles 6 - 15 mm long; often has white stripe on upper needle surface. Fruit: see next photograph. Height: Less than 1.5 m tall. Habitat: Open woodlands, fields, rocky areas. Interest: The name juniper comes from the Dutch word for gin (jenever). Gin owes its flavour to juniper's volatile oil. Gin distillers once used hand-picked juniper berries to add flavour to gin. A juniper by the door was thought to keep witches away.	Return to list Language of Flowers: Juniper means "perfect loveliness" or "protection". Source
	Common Juniper Berries: Fruit: Fleshy, berry-like cones; 6 - 10 mm wide; waxy, bluish colour; white dusty covering; contains 1 to 3 seeds. Location: Killarney lighthouse Date: August 29, 2004. Return to list
Ground pine: Erect tree-like perennial club-moss. Leaves: Needle-like leaves; lance-shaped with sharp point at tip; 5 mm long. Height: <25 cm. Fruit: Yellow, cylindrical, spore-bearing cones up to 4 cm long at branch tips; erect. Location: Burwash Date: November 9, 2003 Return to list
	Wolf's Claw Club-moss: creeping perennial; also known as Running Clubmoss. Low, trailing perennial evergreen club-moss; creeping stems which spread out over the ground with erect branches; densely leafed. Leaves: Needle-like leaves; green; lance-shaped or linear; bright green; 2 to 3 mm long; hairlike point; spreading upward. Height: Low, trailing. Spore Clusters: Spores developed in upright cones on long stalks at the end of branches; up to 4 cm long; cones individual or in groups of 2 or 3; See following photo. Habitat: Moist forest, edges of clearings adjacent to forests; widespread across Ontario's boreal forest. Interest: It is reported that some American First Nation peoples used the plant tea for postpartum pains, fever and weakness. Also, the spores are highly flammable and were once used by photographers and theatre performers as flash powder. Location: Paddy Creek Date: November 10, 2002. Return to list
Club-moss spore clusters. Return to list
	Southern Ground Cedar Erect ever-green club-moss; creeping on ground with erect tips 3-40 cm tall; irregularly forked 3-4 times. Leaves: Resemble cedar leaves; < 1 mm long in 4-rows. Fruiting structure: Cylindrical, spore-bearing cones, 1-3 cm long in groups of 1-5. Habit: Flattened branches. Photo illustrates southern ground cedar in patch of juniper moss. Location: Makynen Road Date: July 27, 2009 Return to list
Southern Ground cedar growing on mineral soil. Location: Makynen Road, east of Hwy 69. Date: October 1, 2006 Return to list
Trailing arbutus, also known as Creeping Mayflower, Arbutus, Trailing, Epigee Rampante, Gravel Plant, Ground Laurel, May Flower, Mountain Pink, Trailing-arbutus and Winter Pink; perennial evergreen shrub. Family: Heath (Ericaceae) Flowers: White or pinkish, funnel-shaped, with 5-spreading lobes, 1 to 2 cm long, waxy; very fragrant; clusters at axils of leaves and at the tips of branches; the strength of the fragrance varies with location and the nature of the soil - the fragrance is strong when growing under evergreen trees; early spring. Leaves: Alternate, hairy stalked, oval with blunt or slightly pointed tip, underside hairy, toothless; leathery texture; . Stem: Prostrate stems, creeping or trailing form. Habitat: Mixed forest, typically acidic soil, sandy or peaty woodland; the leaves are intolerant of tree leaf accumulation; hence, the plant generally grows in open or lightly wooded areas, or else on slopes where leaves do not accumulate. Interest: This is one of the earliest and most aromatic of the spring wildflowers. The Puritans named the Trailing Arbutus the "Mayflower" in remembrance of the ship that carried them to the bleak coast of New England after a long and severe winter. Trailing arbutus is difficult to start and once gone, it is likely gone forever because it rarely produces fruits, it's seeds are dispersed by ants, and it requires a certain type of fungus to grow with its root system or it will not establish. Trailing Arbutus is virtually impossible to transplant. Language of Flowers: Trailing arbutus means "struggle and hope" or "welcome". Source Return to list	Trailing arbutus flowers. Location: Secord Road Date: April 17, 2005
]Pink Lady's Slipper, also called Moccasin Flower, Nerve Root, Pink Lady's-slipper; member of the Orchid Family. Family: Orchid (Orchidaceae) Flower: Pink with reddish veins; lower petal is pouch-like, inflated, about 6 cm long; lateral petals narrow and longer than sepals; sepals are petal-like, greenish-purple, lance-shaped, 3-5 cm long; May-July. Leaves: Basal, simple, 2, oblong, taper to a point; up to 20 cm long and 7 cm wide; prominent parallel veins. Height: 10-55 cm. Habitat: Generally mixed or coniferous forest that is moist and shady. Usually found in the higher and dryer parts of coniferous woods, often in a thin layer of pine needles over rocks, it is also sometimes found in bogs and wet places. Interest: The orchid lives in a special relationship with soil fungi (Rhizoctonia), which helps the seeds germinate and grow. The fungus nourishes the seedling for 2 or 3 years before the plant has leaves large enough to sustain itself by photosynthesis. Because of this special relationship, it is virtually impossible to transplant this wildflower into your garden. Please leave it in the wild. Lady's Slipper plants can take years to mature, and their average life span is about 20 years. That is a good reason NOT to pick the flowers. Language of Flowers: Lady's slipper means "capricious beauty" and "win me and wear me". Source Location: Burwash Date: June 6, 2003 Return to list
Image on right: After flowering, the fruit of the Pink Lady's Slipper is distinctive clue to the plant. Location: Killarney Provincial Park, Cranberry bog. Date: September 15, 2002 Below - Detail of Pink Lady's Slipper flowers. Location: Agnew Lake Date: June 6, 2003 Return to list
Fringed polygala; also known as Gay Wings, Gaywings, Fringed Milkwort, and Flowering Wintergreen (although it is not  related to real wintergreen), Fringed milkwort; perennial. Family: Milkwort Flower: Rose-purple and rarely white; 1-1.5 cm long; 1 central tube-shaped petal, flanked by two sepal wings; the lower petal is fringed; 2 sepals are wing-like; May-June. See following photo. Leaves: Alternate, 3-6; appear whorled, simple, oval to elliptical, blunt tip; 1.5-4 cm long. Height: 5-15 cm tall. Habitat: Prefers full to partial shade and moist soil. Typically occurs in coniferous forest. Interest: Folklore suggests that plants that belonged to the Milkwort Family would increase milk production if eaten by nursing mothers or fed to cows. Where present, it occurs in clusters that resemble a flock of rose-purple or white butterflies or tiny airplanes. The plant keeps one fertile flower buried on a stem, used for propagation. Location: Burwash Date: June 2, 2002 Return to list
	Fringed polygala carpet on the edge of a beaver meadow. Location: Burwash Date: June 2, 2002 Return to list
	Lesser pyrola; also known as Lessor Wintergreen and Small Shinleaf; perennial. Flower: White to pink; bell-shaped and waxy; nodding; 5 petals, 3-5 mm long; 6-17 flowers on spike above basal leaves; does not have a style sticking out of the flower; June-August. Leaves: Basal rosette, stalked, simple, dark green; oval or rounded, blunt to slightly pointed tip; evergreen colour; 1-5 cm long. Stem: Single flowering stem, 5-25 cm tall, leafless. Height: Up to 25 cm. Other: This flower does not stick its tongue out. Lesser Pyrola is a member of the Wintergreen Family. Like other members of the Wintergreen Family, the leaves of the Lesser Pyrola contain a drug related to aspirin that has been used to relieve pain from wounds. Lesser pyrola is the only pyrola that does NOT have a style protruding from its flower. Compare with Shinleaf Return to list
Lesser pyrola leaves with single flower stalk. Location: Makynen Road Date: July 13, 2002 Return to list
	One-sided Pyrola; also known as One-sided Wintergreen; evergreen perennial. Family: Wintergreen Flower: White to greenish white; bell-shaped and waxy; nodding; one-sided; style straight and projects from flower; 5 petals, about 5 mm across; June-August. Leaves: Basal rosette, stalked, blades longer than the stalks; green on top, lighter green below; oval, pointed at apex. Stem: Short, slender, ascending but not erect. Height: Up to 25 cm. Habitat: Range of forest habitats; cold, shady site with a humus, moist to dry soil, shade. Other: The species name secunda describes the one-sided (secund) arrangement of flowers. Location: Killarney highway Date: July 7, 2002. Return to list
One-sided Pyrola flower detail. Location: Makynen Road, Sudbury Date: July 6, 2002. Return to list
	Green-leaved rattlesnake plantain; member of the Orchid Family Flower: White; cylindrical cluster of many small flowers on top of a leafless stalk; each flower is about 5 mm long; upper sepal and 2 united petals form a hood over a cupped lip petal; July - September. Leaves: Green with a distinctive, single main white vein; up to 8 cm long; ovate to oblong. Stem: Single flowering stem, up to 45 cm tall; leafless. Height: Up to 45 cm. Habitat: Dry to moist coniferous and deciduous woods; well drained areas. Other: The single main white vein on the leaves of the Green-leaved Rattlesnake Plantain differs from the mottled and many white-veined leaves of the  Rattlesnake Plantain. Location: Killarney Provincial Park, Cranberry Bog trail Date: August 17, 2002. Return to list
Detail of the flower of the Green-leaved rattlesnake plantain. Location: Killarney Provincial Park, Cranberry Bog trail Date: August 17, 2002. Return to list
	Alaska Orchid; member of the Orchid Family; also known as Slender-spire Orchid. Flower: Greenish white to straw-coloured, fragrant; each flower is about 1-3 mm long; short spur; ate June to early August. Leaves: Generally only 2 leaves above bracts on the lower part of the stem; shiny green to yellow-green; narrow, blunt; 5 - 12 cm long and 1-3 cm wide; leaves wither before or during flowering. Stem: Single spike with numerous tiny flowers. Height: 10 - 60 cm. Habitat: Dry, thin, limestone-rich soil, commonly in partial or full shade of conifer trees. Other: The Alaska Orchid is common on the west coast of North America, but is rare in the east. In Ontario, it is uncommon to rare. In Ontario it occurs on the Bruce Peninsula and on Manitoulin Island and associated islands, including St. Joseph Island. Farther east, it occurs on Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Location: Manitoulin Island, Misery Bay Date: July 18, 2001. Return to list
Pinesap; Indian-pipe Family; perennial; also known as False Beech-drops or Many-flower Indian-pipe. Flower: Pale yellow to reddish; 5 regular parts; nodding on curved stems; single flower on each stem; after the flowers mature they become upright and support black seed capsules; flowers are up to 1 cm long; July - August. Leaves: Pinesap has no real leaves, just scales. Height: Up to 30 cm. Habitat: woods, usually in acid soil. Other: Pinesap plants that bloom in summer tend to be yellow. Those that bloom in fall are reddish. Pinesap, like its relative Indian pipe has no chlorophyll, so it does not get energy from sunlight. Pinesap is saprophytic. That is, it gets nutrients from organic matter in the soil. Location: Trout Lake Road Date: August 7, 2002. Return to list
	One-flowered wintergreen; native perennial; also known as Single Delight, One-flowered Pyrola, and Wood Nymph. Flower: White; sometime pale pink; waxy look; 5 petals; single flower at top of stem; nodding; 1-2 cm wide; late June - August. Leaves: Basal whorl of 3 leaves near base of stem; short stalks; round to egg-shaped; blunt tip; finely toothed; 1-3 cm long; veiny. Stem: Leaves at base of stem in a whorl of 1-3 leaves. Height: Up to 10 cm tall. Habitat: Conifer and mixed forest, dry to moist; seems to prefer shaded, well drained soils in conifer forest in this area. Interest: The name Moneses is derived from the Greek word  monos "single, and hesis, "delight". The name uniflora is derived from the Latin, "one flower". The flowers are hermaphrodite, meaning that it has both male and female organs, but it is pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles. The plant is self-fertile. Location: Paddy Creek trail Date: July 1, 2003 Return to list
One-flowered wintergreen flower. Location: Paddy Creek trail Date: July 1, 2003 Return to list
	Spurred Gentian; native annual or biennial; also known as American spurred-gentian, spurred-gentian. Flower: Greenish to purplish; 4-lobed; the tips of the flowers have a bit of purple colouring; flowers occur in clusters at the end of the stem or in leaf axils; distinctive because of the four spurs at the base of each lobe point downward from the flower; flower is up to 12 mm long; late July - August. Leaves: Opposite, 3 to 5 nerves; stem leaves are egg-shaped and nearly stalkless and 2 to 5 cm long. Stem: May be branched or unbranched; Height: up to 30 cm. Habitat: Conifer and mixed forest and forest clearings especially in moist soil. The plant prefers moist sandy, loamy, or clay soils and prefers acid conditions typical of coniferous or mixed forests. Other: The flowers are hermaphrodite - that is, they have both male and female organs. Location: Manitoulin Island Date: August 2, 2004. Return to list
Example of the Spurred Gentian plant. Location: Manitoulin Island Date: August 2, 2004. Return to list

Page Created By:		Date last modified:
Andy Fyon		July 27, 2009

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