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American
vetch; also known as American Purple Vetch, Mat Vetch;
native perennial.
Interest: The
flowers have both male and female organs and are pollinated by
Insects, which makes the plant self-fertile. Like other members of
the pea family, American Vetch fixes Nitrogen from the air into the
soil, thus improving poor soils. In folklore, the leaves have been
used by women as a love medicine. This climbing plant attaches itself
to other plants using tendrils.
Flower: Lavender
to purple flowers; loose clusters; long; tube-like with long,
one-sided sides 1-2 cm long; May - July.
Leaves: Compound
with 8-12 pairs of narrow leaflets, each up to 2 cm long; a pair of
tendrils occurs at the end of each leafstalk.
Stems: Trailing or climbing.
Height: up to 140 cm.
Habitats:Open
places in woods along road sides and fences, and dry meadows.
Language of
Flowers: For some, American Vetch means "I give myself
permission to be here".
Location: top of
Crystal Lake Mountain, Thunder Bay
Date: June 10, 2002
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Aster,
Small white
Flower: White,
about 8 mm wide, 15-30 ray flowers; green-tipped bracts beneath
heads; mostly clustered along one side of branches; August-October.
Leaves: Stem
leaves- 7-12 cm long, linear to lanceolate, untoothed; branch leaves- smaller.
Stem: Smooth,
slender, purple-tinged; branched.
Height: 60-150 cm.
Other: There are
many varieties of small flowered aster. See
following photo.
Location: Burwash
Date: September 4, 1999.
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Small white aster
leaf axils and purple stems are distinctive.
Location: Burwash
Date: August 26, 2001.
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Ciliolate
Aster; also known as Lindley's aster or Fringed Blue Aster.
Flower: Rays are
pink to pinkish-purple or white; floral bracts very narrow, smooth;
usually less than 50 flower heads in a cluster; 12 - 25 blue ray
flowers; late summer.
Leaves: Alternate;
commonly as basal leaves on nonflowering plants; basal and
lower stem leaves egg-shaped to heart-shaped that taper to a
sharp-pointed tip, rounded or heart-shaped at the base, sharply toothed.
Stem: Smooth,
unbranched, sparingly leafy; short woody base.
Height: Up to 1 m.
Habitat: Forest
habitats on mineral and organic soils, along forest margins, in open
woodlands, along roadsides, in old fields and clearings.
Location: Burwash
Date: September 4, 2000.
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Calico
Aster; also known as Starved aster, White woodland aster, and
One-sided aster.
Flower: White or
pale purple flowers; 8-15 short rays surrounding a yellow or, often,
a purplish disk; flowers are produced on one side only of the
divergent branches; flowers are 0.6 - 1.3 cm in diameter; flowers are
pale yellowish-white when they open and gradually change to
purplish-red; flower stems start from leaf axils; August - October.
Leaves: Coarsely
toothed leaves; 5-15 cm long, lanceolate to elliptical in shape; do
not noticeably clasp the stem.
Stem: Ascending;
covered with small hairs.
Height: up to 90 cm.
Habitat: Commonly
found in open woods, borders and thickets and in fields.
Interest: At any
time, one plant, or even a single flower, may have both colours
present, creating a calico effect.
Location: Burwash
Date: September 7, 2002.
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Calico aster
flower. Note that the flowers heads are on one side of the stem (secund).
Location: Burwash
Date: September 7, 2002.
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Flat-topped
white aster; native perennial; also called Flat-top Aster, Parasol
Aster, Tall Flat-topped White Aster.
Family: Aster (Asteraceae)
Flower: White ray
flowers surrounding yellow disk flowers; flat-topped cluster; few
rayed (2-15) flowers; each flower 1-2 cm wide; yellow disk turns
purplish or gray with age; the grayish flower heads persist late into
fall; August - September.
Stem: Rigid,
upright carrying the flower cluster.
Leaves:
Lanced-shaped, toothless, rough-margined; up to 15 cm long.
Height: 0.5 - 2 m.
Habitat: Moist
thickets, meadows, swamp edges, and roadsides.
Interest: Prefers
moist areas; one of the earliest asters to bloom. The flower cluster
is usually flat-topped, but occasionally the plant has a dome-shaped
flower cluster.
Location: Secord
quarry road
Date: August 8, 2003.
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Flat-topped white
aster plant.
Location: Secord
quarry road
Date: August 8, 2003.
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Large-leaved
aster; also known as Bigleaf Aster, Lumberjack Toilet Paper.
Family:
Asteraceae, the Sunflowers
Flower: Pale blue
to purple with yellow disc at centre; disk turns reddish brown with
age; daisy-like; 9-20 ray flowers that are up to 15 mm long; July - August.
Stem: Flowering
stems may zig-zag, reddish colour; blooming stems are not common and
hence, the mass of leaves looks like a dense ground cover.
Leaves: Basal
leaves are heart-shaped, pointed tip, 1-4 in total, up to 20 cm long
and 15 cm wide; toothed; stem leaves are smaller, stalkless,
narrower, oblong.
Height: Up to 1 m.
Habitat: Open
forest edges, dry to moist, mixed forests, forest edges, roadsides,
fields, common in the Burwash area along roads and in areas that have
been logged.
Distinctive:
Purplish stem, heart-shaped basal leaves.
Interest:
Large-leaved Aster spreads by rhizomes and forms a widespread
groundcover and can create large dense colonies.
Language of
Flowers: Means "afterthought or love of variety". Source
Location: Burwash
Date: September 5, 2002.
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Large-leaved aster flower.
Location:
Killarney Provincial Park
Date: August 26, 2007
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Large-leaved aster
basal leaves. Note the heart-shape of these basal leaves.
Location: Burwash
Date: September
12, 2004.
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Location: McVittie Road
Date: August 26, 2007. |
Purple-stemmed
aster, also known as Glossy-leaves aster, swamp aster, Cocash, and
Meadow Scabish Squaw-weed.
Native perennial.
Family:Composite
or Daisy (Compositae)
Flower: Deep
blue-violet with a yellow centre; mostly single at ends of
branchlets; central "disc" flowers are usually a bright
yellow; 15-25 ray flowers; flower head 2-3 cm across; August - September.
Stem: Hairy,
erect, somewhat brittle, widely branching; generally has a reddish or
purple colour with bristly hairs; is variable and stem may be
green-coloured and smooth.
Leaves: Toothless
to weakly toothed; alternate; clasp the stem; lance shaped; short;
generally hairy on the underside of leaf.
Height: up to 1 m.
Habitat: Moist
edges of mixed forests and open areas, edges of streams and ditches.
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Purple-stemmed
aster plant that stands about 1 m tall. This plant occurs on
the edge of an open deciduous forest, adjacent to a road.
Location: McVittie Road
Date: August 26, 2007.
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Leaves of
purple-stemmed aster. Note the clasping nature of the leaf.
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New
England aster
Flower: Bright
lavender-coloured flower heads; at branch tips; 2-5 cm wide; 35-45
ray flowers; yellowish disk flowers; August-October. See
following photo.
Leaves:
Lanceolate, toothless, clasping stem.
Stem: Flower stalk
has sticky hairs.
Height: 90-210 cm.
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New England aster
flower head with lavender ray flowers and yellowish disk flowers.
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Pringle's
Aster; also known as Frost aster, Heath aster, Old field aster, Awl
aster, Hairy aster.
Flower: White;
crowded flower heads; narrow bracts with a green, diamond-shaped tip;
some flowers form white rays while others form a central yellow disk;
ray flowers 20-35, 3-8 mm long; disk flowers tubular; 1-2 cm across;
5 stamens, no sepals; August - September.
Leaves: Terminal
leaflets are wedge-like shape; large leaflets often interspersed with
small leaves; compound; upper leaves are lanceolate.
Stem: Upright,
unbranched or sparingly branched, slender, smooth or hairy in lines,
up to 2 feet tall.
Height: up to 1 m.
Habitat: Dry sand
to open meadows and roadsides.
Location: Burwash
Date: September 7, 2002.
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Pringle's aster foliage.
Location: Burwash
Date: August 26, 2001
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Pringle's aster plant.
Location: Burwash
Date: August 26, 2001
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Yellow
Avens; also known as Large-leaf aven, Largeleaf Aven, Large-leaved
Aven, Big Leaf Aven.
Family: Rose (Rosaceae)
Perennial.
Flower: Yellow; 5
petals; 5 sepals; 1-2 cm across; numerous stamens and pistils in a
dense central cluster; when mature, each flower head turns into a
nearly spherical brown to dark brown bur about 2 cm in diameter; the
seed in the bur has a sharply hooked tip which clings to fur, clothes
and skin; burs present into winter; June-August.
Leaves: Terminal
leaflets are wedge-like shape; large leaflets often interspersed with
small leaves along each side of the central stalk; compound; rosette
leaves long-stalked; leaflets coarsely toothed, hairy and green on
both surfaces; stem leaves alternate and upper stem leaves are
stalkless; stem leaves are divided into 3-5 leaflets.
Stem: Very
bristly-hairy; erect; branched.
Height: up to 0.5 m.
Habitat: Grows in
moist meadows, open woods, pastures, waste areas and roadsides.
Interest: The
Large-leaf Aven flower has styles that are S-shaped near the tip. The
S-shape is retained in the fruits (achenes). This hook-shape helps
the achenes stick to fur and fabric and therefore helps the plant
disperse its seeds widely.
Location:
Fairbanks Provincial Park
Date: October 9, 2006
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Yellow avens
flower heads droop as the mature. Note also that the sepals age.
Location: Burwash
Date: June 30, 2003
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Black-eyed
Susan, native to North America; also called Brown-eyed Susan, Brown
Betty, Ox-eye daisy, poor-land daisy, poor-man's daisy, yellow daisy,
and yellow ox-eye daisy; biennial.
Flower: Yellow,
daisy-like; single blossom; numerous (10-20) long, yellow daisy-like
ray flowers; chocolate-coloured, disk flowers in centre; 5-7.5 cm
wide; June-October.
Leaves: Very
bristly-hairy; 5-18 cm long; lanceolate to ovate.
Stem: Very bristly-hairy.
Height: up to 1 m.
Habitat: Dry
fields, road sides.
Interest: A plant
with a black eye? The centre of the Black-eyed Susan flower is not
actually black. It is brown and dark purple. The yellow daisy-like
flower is easy to recognize with its dark brown centre disk. It is
drought tolerant and attracts butterflies and bees. Rudbeckia was
named after Rudbeck who was a professor of botany at Upsala in
Sweden. The Latin name hirta refers to the hairiness of the whole
plant. Black-eyed Susan makes a very nice cut flower with vase-life
of up to 10 days.
Language of
Flowers: Rudbeckia means "justice". Source
Location: Burwash
Date: July 12, 2002 |
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Daisy
fleabane
Flower: White or
pink ray flowers surrounding yellow disk flowers; length of rays
appears short compared to diameter of flower; 40-70 rays; ~1 cm wide;
June - October.
Leaves: Strongly
toothed; hairy; up to 12 cm long, lanceolate shape. See
next photo.
Stem: Hairy, erect
Height: 30 - 150 cm.
Other: Looks like
an aster, but starts blooming in the spring.
Folklore: Name
originated from belief that dried flowers could drive fleas from a
home. Distinguished from common fleabane by toothed leaves.
Location: Burwash
Date: July 2, 2001
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Toothed leaves of
daisy fleabane.
Location: Burwash
Date: July 2, 2001
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Daisy fleabane plant.
Location: Burwash
Date: July 13, 2002
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Common
fleabane or Philadelphia fleabane
Flower: White or
pink ray flowers surrounding yellow disk flowers; up to 150 rays; 1 -
2.5 cm wide; May - August.
Leaves: Not
toothed; hairy; clasp stem; up to 15 cm long; oblong shape.
Stem: Erect
Height: 15 - 90 cm.
Habitat:
Roadsides, fields, vacant lots, parking lots.
General Interest:
Fleabane's common name comes from a belief that dried flowers could
be used against flea infestations, though it is also suggested that
the name refers to its seeds being as small as fleas. The flower
head looks like an aster, but Common Fleabane starts blooming
in the spring. Common fleabane is distinguished from the Daisy
Fleabane by the non-toothed leaves.
Location: Burwash
Date: July 2, 2001
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Leaves of common
fleabane. Note how the leaf clasps the stem. This feature
distinguished Common Fleabane from Daisy Fleabane.
Location:
Manitoulin Island, Misery Bay
Date: June 29, 2002.
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Cylindric
blazing star (Liatris)
Flower:
Rose-purple, lavender; stalked, few flower heads along the stem;
20-50 florets per head; July - September.
Leaves: Bracts in
a tight cylinder, flat, sharp-pointed; elongate, narrow, grasslike.
Stem: Stiffly
stalked, smooth.
Height: 20-50 cm.
Habitat: Prefers
dry, limestone-derived or limy soils.
Location: Great La
Cloche Island
Date: August 2, 2004.
See also Cylindrical
Blazing Star - Manitoulin Island - for more information.
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Bottle
gentian; native perennial; also known as Closed Gentian.
Family: Gentian (Gentianceae)
Flower: Dark blue
to purple; bottle-like, cylindrical flower; nearly closed at the tip;
2-4 cm long; few to many clusters at the top of the stem or in axils
of upper leaves; August - October.
Leaves: Ovate or
lanceolate; 10 cm long and 0.6 - 3 cm wide; whorl below flower
cluster, opposite below flower cluster.
Height: 15-60 cm.
Habitat: Prefers
moist areas in meadows, low areas, ditches.
Interest: The
flowers of this gentian never fully open, giving them their
characteristic bottle-like appearance. Bumblebees are one of the few
insects able to force their way into the closed petals to collect
nectar and pollinate the flowers. Bottle gentian flowers later in the
fall, close to the time of the first frost.
Date: August 21, 2004.
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Bottle gentian or
Closed gentian flower.
Date: August 21, 2004
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Early
buttercup; native perennial; also known as Thick-root Buttercup
Family: Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
Flower: Yellow;
single flower; on end of stalks that are up to 20 cm long; erect; 5
petals; about 1 cm across; shiny above and pale below; many stamens;
5 spreading sepals; 2 cm across; May-June.
Leaves: Leaves of
the basal rosette have a long stalk or petiole (up to 15 cm long);
mostly basal and deeply lobed; leaf segments rounded.
Stem: Leaves and
flowering stalks originate from basal cluster.
Height: Up to 25 cm.
Habitat: Prefers
calcareous soils of prairies, pastures, dry, open woods, calcareous
rock outcrops, alvars, and calcareous savanna.
Interest: Ranunculus:
from Latin rana, "little frog," because many
species tend to grow in moist places and fascicularis meaning
"of bundles".
Location:
Manitoulin - Burnt Island
Date: May 20, 2006.
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Early buttercup
leaf. Note the lobed and rounded segments.
Location:
Manitoulin - Burnt Island
Date: May 20, 2006.
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Narrow-leaved
vervain
Also known: Herb
of grace, Holy herb, Enchanter's plant
Flower: White,
lavender or purple that form on a stalk; bloom from bottom to top of
stalk; 5 petals; May to September.
Leaves: Narrow,
opposite, lance-shaped that taper to a stalkless base; deeply lobed;
sparsely leaved.
Stem: Greenish.
Height: 0.3 - 0.5 m.
Other: Vervain has
a long association with mysticism and magic. In Medieval times,
people worn necklaces of vervain to protect them from headaches and
snake bites.
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Tall
wormwood:
Flower: Tiny,
nodding, yellow-green flower heads without rays.
Leaves: Stringy,
forked leaves.
Stem: Dark green
to reddish.
Height: 0.3 - 1.2 m.
Flowers: July to October.
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Common
strawberry; also known as wild strawberry.
Family: Rose (Rosaceae)
Flower: White with
yellow centres; round petals; two to three flowers in a terminal
cluster on a single stalk; flowers lower than leaves; April - June.
Leaves: Hairy; in
three leaflets; coarsely-toothed leaves on slender stalk that is
separate from flower stalk.
Fruit: Red with
tiny seeds on surface; similar to domestic strawberry.
Stem: Separate
flower and leaf stems; hairy.
Height: 5 - 15 cm.
Habitat: Open dry
waste areas, such as roadsides, old fields, edges of woodlands,
opening in woods.
Interest: Bears
and other small animals love to eat the red fruits. The wild
strawberry has lots of taste, unlike the cultivated strawberry.
Language of
Flowers: Strawberry means "perfect excellence". Source
Location: Burwash
Date: June 2, 2002.
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Common strawberry fruit.
Location: Burwash
Date: July 7, 2002.
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Common strawberry plant.
Location: Burwash
Date: May 28, 2004
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Common strawberry
carpet along the side of an old logging road.
Location: Burwash
Date: June 2, 2002.
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Barren
Strawberry; native to North America.
Family: Rose (Rosaceae)
Flower: Yellow; 5
petals; 5 sepals; many stamens; 5-10 mm long, 3-6 mm wide; several in
loose cluster; flowering stems are leafless; April - May.
Leaves: Compound;
3 leaflets on long stalks; wedge-shaped to oval, 3-5 cm long; margins
broadly toothed.
Stem: The plant
produces runners as a means to create new plants.
Height: 7-20 cm.
Habitat: Found in
meadows, waste areas, deciduous forest; does not produce a
strawberry. See
following photo.
Interest: The
plant does not produce any fruit and has no runners; hence, the name
barren-ground strawberry, but you may find it growing close to the
fruit-bearing common wild strawberry. The Barren Strawberry is an
excellent ground cover for those difficult areas around your home. It
is a plant that tolerates drought, so it is a valuable addition to a
xeriscape garden. Barren Strawberry spreads by runners, just like the
wild strawberry.
Location: Burwash
Date: June 2, 2002
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Barren Strawberry
flowers in detail.
Location: Burwash
Date: May 25, 2002
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Barren strawberry
compared to common strawberry. Plants in a waste area on
roadside. The colour of the flowers and leaves distinguish the two at
the flowering stage.
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Prairie
smoke; perennial; also known as Old Man's Whiskers, Three
Flowered Avens, Purple (or Red) Avens, Long-plumed Avens.
Family: Rose (Rosaceae)
Flower:
Reddish-brown or pinkish; at top of stalk; 2 cm long; 5 small, pale
orange petals almost completely hidden by maroon sepals; flowers
droop at end of stem; May - June.
Leaves: Divided
into wedge-shaped to oblong, toothed or lobed leaflets; 10-25 cm long.
Height: 15-40 cm.
Habitat: Dry open
prairies; prefers full sun; common on Alvars.
Other: seed look
like dusters (see following photos).
Interest: Prairie
Smoke is an un common prairie plant. In Ontario, it is most commonly
found on alvars. The feather-fruits (see below) are called achenes.
Though the flowers nod, the stems turn upright when the seed is ready
to allow the wind to carry the seed away.
Location:
Manitoulin Island
Date: May 20, 2006
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Prairie smoke in seed.
Location:
Manitoulin Island
Date: June 2005.
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Prairie smoke flower.
Location:
Manitoulin Island
Date: May 22, 2005.
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Fragrant
bedstraw, also known as Sweet-scented bedstraw.
Flower:
Greenish-white, small; 4 petals; June-August.
Leaves: Whorls of
6, narrowly oblong; 2-9 cm long; single veined; coarse hairs on underside.
See following 2 photos.
Stem: Square,
hairless, weak, reclining
Height: 20-80 cm.
Habitat: Meadows,
fields, grass-lands.
Interest: People
used to gather these plants, dry them, and stuff their mattresses
with them. When dried, the leaves smell a bit like vanilla.
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Fragrant bedstraw
leaves. Note the whorls of 6 leaves along the stem. This
feature helps to distinguish the fragrant bedstraw from other
bedstraw varieties.
Location: Burwash
Date: June 17, 2001.
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Fragrant bedstraw
flower closeup.
Location: Burwash
Date: September
16, 2006.
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Canada
anemone; also known as Round-leaf thimbleweed, Canada anemone,
Windflower; perennial.
The white
"petals" of the plant are actually it's sepals. According
to Greek mythology, anemones were the tears Venus wept when Mars got
jealous and sent a wild boar to kill her lover, Adonis.
Flower: White, 5
unequal petal-like sepals, 1-2.5 cm long on solitary stalk from
centre of leaves; numerous stamens in the center of the flower; June-July.
Leaves: Alternate,
deeply cut into 3-5 lobes; basal leaves are long-stalked, 5-15 cm
wide; a single whorl of 3- to 5-parted leaves located on the stem.
Stem: Upright,
0.4m, stem bearing a single whorl of 3- to 5-parted leaves.
Height: 20-70 cm.
Habitat: Prefers
moist open areas, such as ditches, edges of creeks, and moist
meadows. Tolerates part shade.
Other: Plants
contain a toxic compound that may irritate the skin.
Location:
Manitoulin Island
Date: June 29, 2002.
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Clump of Canada
anemone in a damp meadow area, beside a creek.
Location:
Manitoulin Island
Date: June 29, 2002.
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Wild
bergamot
Flower:
Lavender-coloured tubular flowers at top of stem; 2.5 cm long; hairy
2-lobed upper lip on corolla; broader 3-lobed lower lip; 2 stamens;
June-September. See following photo.
Leaves:
Gray-green, opposite, lanceolate, coarsely toothed, 6 cm long.
Stem: Square stem.
Height: 60-120 cm.
Other: Part of
mint family, hence the square stem; aromatic leaves used to make a
medicinal tea. The scent of Wild Bergamot resembles that of oil of
bergamot, derived from a small Mediterranean tree named Citrus
aurantium bergamia. Oil from this citrus tree, not the
wildflower, is used to add flavour to Earl Grey tea. Also known as
Beebalm, Horsemint, Lemon-mint, Purple-Bergamot.
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Wild bergamot flower.
Date: August 4, 2000.
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Lupin
Flower: Blue,
pea-like, terminal cluster on an upright, erect stem; 1.5 cm long;
April - July.
Leaves: 7 - 11
lanceolate leaflets up to 5 cm long; radiate from central point.
Stem: Erect.
Height: up to 1 m.
Language of
Flowers: Means "dejection" or "imagination". Source
Other: Lupins are
common where houses once stood. The lupins are likely a domestic
variety that has spread into the waste or field areas.
Lore: The name lupinus
is derived from the Latin lupus, meaning wolf, because these
plants were thought to exhaust the nutrients from the soil. However,
like other members of the pea family, lupins actually fix nitrogen
from the air and add nitrogen to the soil.
CAUTION: LUPIN
SEEDS ARE POISONOUS!
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Starry
false solomon's seal; also known as Starry Solomon's Seal, False
Solomon's Seal, Bog False Solomon's Seal, Star-Flowered Solomon's
Seal, Starry Solomon Plume, Starry Smilac, Spikenard; perennial.
Flower: White; 5
to 10 in a terminal cluster or raceme; star-shaped; 6 mm wide; May - July.
Leaves: Clasping
leaves; alternate, 10 cm long.
Stem: Erect;
flowers at tip.
Height: 20 - 30 cm.
Fruit: Berries
with blackish-red stripes, eventually become completely black.
Habitat: Cool,
moist environments, but also occurs on rocky, well-drained hills and
open forests on flood plains adjacent to streams.
Interest: This
plant will generally survive a forest fire because the rhizomes are
protected in mineral soil.
Location:
Manitoulin Island
Date: July 8, 2001.
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Starry False
Solomon's seal flower.
Location:
Manitoulin Island, Little Current
Date: May 26, 2007
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Starry False
Solomon's seal fruit.
Location:
Manitoulin Island, Carter's Bay
Date: July 29, 2006
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Agrimony;
native perennial; also known as church steeples, cockleburr, and stickwort.
Flower: Yellow;
small, yellow clusters on stem above the leaves; flower 6 mm wide, 5
petals; July - August.
Leaves: Leaflets
are 5-10 cm long; bright green, many veined, coarsely toothed; often
with 3 pairs of tiny leaflets present between the larger leaflets.
Stem: Erect;
contains flowers; has a spicy order when crushed.
Height: 30 - 180 cm.
Habitat: Meadows,
boarders of forests, fields.
Language of
Flowers: Agrimony means thankfulness or gratitude. Source
Interest: The
species name means "having hooked sepals". There are
several varieties of Agrimony. In the Middle Ages, Agrimony was said
to have magic powers and if laid under a man's head, Agrimony induced
heavy sleep until removed.
Location:
Killarney Provincial Park, Granite Ridge trail
Date: July 13, 2003
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Agrimony fruit on
flower stem.
Location:
Killarney Provincial Park, Granite Ridge trail
Date: July 22, 2001.
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Agrimony leaves.
Note very small leaflets between the larger leaflets.
Location: Thunder
Bay, High Falls
Date: July 28, 2002.
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White
False Indigo; also known as Rattlepod, Prairie false indigo, White
wild indigo; perennial herb.
Interest: White
False Indigo is a member of the legume family. It fixes nitrogen from
the air into the soil and thus improves poor soil. The plant produces
large seed pods. It is said that the children of some early settlers
and First Nation peoples used the seedpods as rattles. The plant is
poisonous if eaten.
Flower: White,
pea-shaped, and numerous; up to 2.5 cm long, and held in stiff erect
clusters up to 30 cm long; on several stalks; June - July.
Leaves: Oval, with
three leaflets; they turn a blue-black with the first frost.
Stems: Smooth.
Height: Up
to 1.5 m.
Habitat: Dry to
moist prairie and open woodlands.
Location: top of
Crystal Lake Mountain, Thunder Bay
Date: June 10, 2002
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Plant of White
False Indigo, early in its summer growth.
Location: top of
Crystal Lake Mountain, Thunder Bay
Date: June 10, 2002
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Wild
Columbine; also known as Canada or Canadian columbine, honeysuckle,
meetinghouses, rock-bells, and simply, columbine; perennial herb.
Interest: The
upward tubes contain nectar that attracts insects, such as hawk
moths, and hummingbirds that have long tongues. It is reported that
Native Americans rubbed the crushed seeds on the hands of men as a
love charm. Columbine is called "the flower for the masses."
Once started, Columbine propagates for years and, although
perennial, they increase rapidly by self-sown seed.
Flower: Drooping,
bell-like red and yellow flower, 2-5 cm long; 5 upward, tube-shaped
spurred petals alternating with 5 spreading, coloured sepals;
numerous yellow stamens hanging below the petals; May - July.
Leaves: Compound,
long-stalked, up to 15 cm wide; divided into many light green 3-lobed leaflets.
Stems: Long stems
connected to leaves and flowers.
Height: Up to 60 cm.
Habitat: Wooded or
open, rocky or sandy ground, dry slopes, exposed rock ledges and
crevices, edges of forests, and peat bogs.
Location:
Manitoulin Island, Misery Bay
Date: May 20, 2006
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Wild Columbine
plant and leaves.
Location:
Manitoulin Island, Misery Bay
Date: May 20, 2006.
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Wild
Chives; Perennial; Smells like onion; also known as Prairie Onion,
Wild Onion, Wild garlic, or Fall Glade Onion.
Family: Lily
Flower: Pale pink
to lilac-coloured; darker centre line; tubular-bell-shaped; flowers
form a dense terminal cluster; up to about 30 in a round cluster;
flowers consist of 6 petals that spread slightly at the tip to form
the bell; May-August.
Leaves: Alternate;
grass-like and cylindrical; usually 2; hollow, 1-7 mm thick.
Stems: Stem rises
from tiny bulbs to produce a typical onion-like stem topped by
lavender flowers.
Height: Up to 50 cm.
Habitat: Moist
meadows, moist alvars or limestone pavement, and shores or lakes.
Interest: The name Allium
is the Latin for garlic.
Location:
Manitoulin Island
Date: June 29, 2002
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Mass of Wild
Chives growing on limestone pavement depression that is moist.
Location:
Manitoulin Island
Date: June 29, 2002
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Purple
Giant Hyssop; perennial.
Family: Mint
Interest: The
square stem of the plant is typical of the Mint Family.
Flower: Purple;
tubular in shape with an upper and lower lip; in crowded spike;
typical are the 4-protruding stamens; bracts are purplish in colour;
flowers occur in whorls around the stem; July - September.
Leaves:Generally
coarsely toothed, stalked, up to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide; opposite;
upper surface is coarsely veined; when crushed, smell like anise.
Stems: Stem is
4-sided; upper stems are branched;
Height: Up to 1.5 m.
Habitat: Margins
of meadows or just inside the forest, where soil is moist, rich, but
well drained and where the plant receives sunlight. There are
suggestions that the seed must be disturbed to germinate; hence, the
tendency to occur at edges of meadows or open forest where the soil
has been disturbed.
Location: Makynen
Road, forest on old homestead
Date: August 5, 2002
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Plant detail of
Purple Giant Hyssop.
Location: Makynen
Road, forest on old homestead
Date: August 5, 2002
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Tower
Mustard; also known as Tower Rockcress, Tower cress; perennial.
Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
Flower: Pale
yellow; 4-petaled and small; erect to reflexed; sepals erect; June-July.
Leaves: Clasping
stem; bottom leaves large and rough; stem leaves are clasping and alternate.
Stems: Erect,
unbranched; sometimes tinged with violet, and is slightly hairy
towards the base; cylindric, leafy..
Height: Up to 1 m.
Habitat: Meadows,
fields, open woods
Interest: The seed
pods are long (up to 9 cm) and are up-right near the top of the stem
resembling bundled twigs.
Location: Paddy Creek
Date: June 11, 2006
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Tower mustard or
Tower Rockcress flower detail.
Location: Paddy Creek
Date: June 11, 2006.
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Creeping
Phlox: also known as Flowering Moss, Moss Phlox, Ground Pink, and
Moss Pinks; Native to eastern United States; Perennial.
Family:
Flower: Magenta
(pink-purple), fuchsia (red-purple), violet/lavender, and white
colour; corolla tube up to 1.3 cm long; 5 blunt-shaped petals that
are notched at the tip; 1 cm long and 6 mm wide; 5 stamens; flowers mid-spring.
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