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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE BUTTERCUP FAMILY | |||||||||
| The buttercup family is common in temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. These plants are usually herbs, but may also be vines or shrubs. The stems do not have spines or prickles. The stem leaves are alternate or occasionally opposite or whorled. The leaves can be simple or compound but are at least lobed in the majority of species. The margins may be entire or toothed. The flowers are in several different types of clusters, from solitary flowers to branched, unbranched or umbrella-like groups. The flowers are commonly lacking petals and have coloured sepals. One to several whorls of bracts may be present below the flowers. The ovary consists of several separate carpels which mature to form an aggregate fruit or berry. The aggregates may be of pods or of single-seeded fruits that resemble seeds. | |||||||||
| WESTERN BLUE VIRGINSBOWER | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Clematis occidentalis var. grosseserrata | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Western blue virginsbower is a climbing or trailing plant that grows up to 2 m long. The leaves are opposite on the stem and are divided into threes two or three times. Each of the leaflets is long stalked and is heart-shaped at the base. The flowers are solitary on long stalks. Each flower has four large violet-blue sepals. The petals are absent or replaced by petal-like sterile stamens. There are many fertile stamens and carpels. The stigmas are feathery in fruit. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Western blue virginsbower grows climbing over shrubs on wooded slopes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in southwestern and east-central Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland and Mid-Boreal Lowland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Western blue virginsbower is threatened because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. It occurs in two isolated areas in the province. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WESTERN BLUE VIRGINSBOWER | |||||||||
| * Are the leaves divided into three stalked leaflets? * Are the sepals violet-blue? * Are the stigmas feathery in fruit? * Did you find it in southwestern or east-central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found western blue virginsbower! | |||||||||
