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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE MUSTARD FAMILY | |||||||||
| The mustard family can easily be
identified by the fruit types. In this family the fruit types are the silicle
and the silique. Both fruit types split open along two lines and have a
membranous partition in the center to which the seeds attach. The silicle
is long and thin, while the silicle is short and wide. The mustard family
can also be identified by the flowers. The flowers have four separate sepals
and four clawed petals arranged in a cross shape. There are four long stamens
and two short stamens. The mustard family is well known in Saskatchewan. Many people farm canola as a crop. Also, many vegetables we consume in North America come from this family including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts. |
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| CUCKOO FLOWER | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Cardamine pratensis | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Cuckoo flower grows 10 – 50 cm tall from fibrous roots and short, horizontal underground stems. The above ground stems are erect and slender. The leaves have stalks and are divided into 11 to 15 leaflets. On the basal leaves, the leaflets are oval to round, while the stem leaves have elliptic shaped leaflets. The flowers are clustered in unbranched groups. The flowers are 15 to 25 mm broad, with oval shaped sepals and white, or rarely pink, petals arranged in a cross shape. The fruit is a silique. The siliques point upwards and can be 1 to 2 cm long with a purplish tinge. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Cuckoo flower grows in muskegs and on peaty shores. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in northern and central Saskatchewan, from Hasbala Lake to Pike Lake, and occurs in the following ecoregions: Moist Mixed Grassland, Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Lowland, Tazin Lake Upland, and Selwyn Lake Upland. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| This species is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is uncommon and population sizes vary from large to small. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY CUCKOO FLOWER | |||||||||
| * Are the flowers white or pink? * Are there four petals in a cross shape? * Are the flowers 15 – 25 mm broad? * Did you find it in a muskeg or peaty shore in northern or central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found cuckoo flower! | |||||||||
