|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
||
| 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. |
||
| BROWN EVERLASTING | ||
| LATIN NAME: Antennaria umbrinella | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Brown everlasting is between 8 and 15 cm tall and has brown, underground, horizontal stems. The runners are leafy and join several plants together. The leaves are basal and are white woolly on both sides. The flower heads have light brown bracts, unlike the other everlastings and pussytoes that have white bracts. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Brown everlasting grows on dry, gravelly hillsides. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is found in southwest corner of the province in the Cypress Hills Upland and Mixed Grassland ecoregions and in northern Saskatchewan in the Tazin Lake and Selwyn Lake Uplands. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Brown everlasting is vulnerable in Saskatchewan because it is only found in two general regions. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY BROWN EVERLASTING | ||
| * Are the bracts on the heads light brown? * Does the plant have runners? * Does the plant grow on dry, gravelly hillsides? * Did you find it in southwestern or northern Saskatchewan? |
||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found brown everlasting! | ||
