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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE PINK FAMILY | |||||||||
| The pink family is found mainly in north temperate regions, though it may also be found in montane tropics and the arctic. These plants are herbaceous perennials that have an erect or reclining growth habit. Some species may be mat forming. Almost all of the members of the pink family have three characteristics in common that make this family easy to identify: swollen nodes, opposite leaves, and notched petals. Several members of this family are used as ornamentals. One of the more well-known examples is Dianthus or the carnation. Many species are also considered weedy. | |||||||||
| ALPINE CHICKWEED | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Cerastium alpinum | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Alpine chickweed grows as tall as 15 cm from a horizontal underground stem (rhizome). The above ground stems are densely tufted and have both sticky, glandular hairs and white, woolly hairs. The leaves are opposite, stalkless and covered in white woolly hairs. The tips of the leaves of the basal offshoots have shiny, woolly hairs. The flowers are in clusters of two to four, with papery bracts below. The sepals are green, often with violet tips. The petals are 1 to 2 times as long as the sepals and are white in colour. The fruit is a cylinder shaped capsule on a straight stalk that opens by 10 teeth. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Alpine chickweed grows on dry, granitic outcrops in black spruce woods | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in northern Saskatchewan in the Selwyn Lake Upland and Tazin Lake Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Alpine chickweed is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare. It is somewhat regionally restricted in the province and most local populations are small. No immediate threats have been identified for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY ALPINE CHICKWEED | |||||||||
| * Are the fruiting stalks straight? * Are the petals distinctly longer than the sepals? * Are the leaves opposite and sessile? * Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found alpine chickweed! | |||||||||
