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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE GRAPEFERN FAMILY | |||||||||
| The grapefern family is a unique group of plants. Most of the grapeferns found in Saskatchewan are considered endangered or threatened. These plants have short rootstocks and often have a cluster of fleshy roots. The sterile and fertile blades have a common stalk. The common stalk is enlarged at the base and encloses the bud for the next year’s growth. The sterile blades are sessile or on stalks and can be simple to compound. The fertile blades are generally long stalks and may be branched or unbranched. The spore sacs are arranged in two rows on the fertile leaves. The spores are small and yellowish. | |||||||||
| PRAIRIE DUNEWORT | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Botrychium campestre | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Prairie dunewort has one leaf, with the sterile and fertile blades coming from the same stalk. The sterile blade is sessile to the common stalk and is only up to 4 cm long. When the plant is alive, the sterile blade is folded lengthwise. This blade is fleshy, with a bluish tinge and has up to five pairs of lobes. The lobes may be well-spaced. The distance between the first and second pairs of lobes is greater than the distance between the second and third pairs of lobes. The fertile blade is 1 to 1.5 times longer than the sterile blade. The spore sacs are round and release small, yellow spores. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Prairie dunewort grows in stabilized sand dune meadows and above prairie sloughs. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Mixed Grassland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Prairie dunewort is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare and is limited to one region of the province. The populations are almost always locally sparse. Possible threats have been identified for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY PRAIRIE DUNEWORT | |||||||||
| * Is the sterile blade folded lengthwise? * Do the sterile blades have up to five pairs of pinnae? * Do the fertile blades have two rows of spore sacs? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found prairie dunewort! | |||||||||
