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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE SUNFLOWER FAMILY | ||
| The sunflowers are found around the
globe in many different places, from temperate climates, like in Saskatchewan,
to mountains or in dry regions. The sunflower family is very large and contains
about 19,000 species! As you can imagine, the plants in this family can
look very different from one another. The sunflowers can be shrubs or herbs,
with many different leaf shapes and flower colours. One thing that is common
to all sunflowers is the type of flower arrangement. In this family, there
are many flowers grouped together into a head, like the one you see on a
daisy. It looks like one flower from a distance, but when you get close
you will see that it is actually made up of many, small flowers. The head
may have ray flowers on the outside and disc flowers on the inside, or only
one of the two kinds. Many of the seeds, like the dandelion, have a fluffy
structure attached to the seed. This is called the pappus and helps the
seeds to spread in the wind. You probably know a lot of plants in the sunflower family. Sunflowers can be plants you eat or plants that you may grow in the yard. For example, did you know that lettuce is from the sunflower family? So are the marigolds in the garden! Maybe you have heard of Echinacea? It is a plant in the sunflower family that is used to make medicine. Some of the sunflowers are also weeds, like the dandelion. |
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| BUR RAGWEED | ||
| LATIN NAME: Ambrosia acanthicarpa | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Bur ragweed is between 15 and 60 cm tall and has fibrous roots. The branched stems are woody and dark brown to purplish with stiff white hairs. The leaves are divided two times and are rough to the touch because of hairs on the upper and lower surfaces. The heads have only male flowers or only female flowers, but both types of heads are found on the same plant. The male heads are at the top of the plant, but the female heads are found where the leaf meets the stem. The fruits are burs that stick to animals or your clothing to move the seeds from one area to another. The burs have several rows of long spines. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Bur ragweed grows in sand dunes. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is found in southern Saskatchewan in the Great Sand Hills, the Elbow Sand Hills and the Cypress Hills. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Bur ragweed is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan because it is only found in a few places and may not be abundant. The sand dune habitat in which this species grows is fragile and may be damaged by developments or human use of the sand dune areas. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY BUR RAGWEED | ||
| * Is the fruit a bur with long spines? * Are there many flowers in a head? * Do the stems and leaves have stiff, white hairs? * Did you find it in a sand dune? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have bur ragweed! | ||
