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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE ORCHID FAMILY | ||
| The orchid family is easily recognizable
because of the unique structures of the flower. There are usually three
sepals and three petals, similar to other petaloid monocots; however, the
sepals often look like the two side petals. The middle petal is called the
labellum or lip and is usually highly modified. The lip can be pouch-like,
have appendages or be coloured differently than the rest of the perianth.
The stamens, style, and stigma are fused together to form the column. There
is usually one functional anther with two pollen sacs that contain masses
of pollen called pollinia. The stigma is usually a sticky surface at the
tip or beak of the column. The ovary is long and can be seen below the sepals
and petals. Orchid flowers can be very bright and large, which makes them popular ornamental plants. This family is well represented in the tropics. Saskatchewan has several orchid species, most of which are quite small. |
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| SWAMP-PINK | ||
| LATIN NAME: Arethusa bulbosa | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Swamp-pink is a small orchid with a bright pink flower. The stem is solitary and without leaves. This plant has an underground stem with papery leaves, similar to a clove of garlic. The leaves present at the time of flowering are reduced to sheaths. After flowering, a long, grass-like leaf emerges. The flowers are usually solitary, though there may be up to two flowers on some plants. The sepals are bright magenta to pinkish-white and form a hood. The petals are also bright magenta to pinkish-white and are slightly smaller than the sepals. The lip, or the enlarged centre petal, is pink with white in the middle. Often the lip is spotted with dark purple and has yellowish hairs in the centre. The anthers produce soft, yellowish-green pollen masses. The fruit is a capsule. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Swamp-pink is found in bogs. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is found from northwestern to east-central Saskatchewan in the Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland, Mid-Boreal Lowland, and Athabasca Plain ecoregions. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Swamp-pink is threatened because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. No immediate threats are known but are possible in the future. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY SWAMP-PINK | ||
| * Are the sepals and petals bright pink? * Is the flower solitary? * Are the leaves absent or reduced to sheaths at the time of flowering? * Did you find in northern to east-central Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found swamp-pink! | ||
