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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE FIGWORT FAMILY | |||||||||
| The figwort family is very common in Saskatchewan. The leaves are usually opposite, though they may be alternate, whorled, or all basal. The leaf margin may be entire to pinnately or palmately lobed. The flowers are irregular and are commonly 2-lipped. The upper lip usually has two lobes and the lower lip three lobes. Each flower has two or four stamens. If four stamens are present, they are in two groups of two and are usually attached to the petals. The sepals and the petals are commonly fused together. In some species, large, brightly-coloured bracts hide the flowers. The fruit is a many-seeded capsule. | |||||||||
| WYOMING KITTENTAILS | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Besseya wyomingensis | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Wyoming kittentails grows as tall as 30 cm. The stems are covered in greyish hairs. The basal leaves have long stalks and are commonly reddish-tinged. The stem leaves are small, stalkess and alternate on the stem. The flowers are in dense clusters that are 2 to 5 cm long in flower and 5 to 15 cm long in fruit. The flower clusters are densely hairy and are usually purplish-tinged. The flowers have 2-lobed sepals and no petals. There are two, purplish stamens that protrude from the flowers. The fruit is a hairy, many-seeded capsule. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Wyoming kittentails grows on open, eroded, upland, fescue grassland slopes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Wyoming kittentails is threatened because it is rare and regionally restricted in Saskatchewan. Possible threats have been identified for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WYOMING KITTENTAILS | |||||||||
| * Are the plants covered in greyish hairs? * Are the petals absent? * Are the two stamens purplish? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Wyoming kittentails! | |||||||||
