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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE SUNFLOWER FAMILY | ||
| The sunflowers are found around the
globe in many different places, from temperate climates, like in Saskatchewan,
to mountains or in dry regions. The sunflower family is very large and contains
about 19,000 species! As you can imagine, the plants in this family can
look very different from one another. The sunflowers can be shrubs or herbs,
with many different leaf shapes and flower colours. One thing that is common
to all sunflowers is the type of flower arrangement. In this family, there
are many flowers grouped together into a head, like the one you see on a
daisy. It looks like one flower from a distance, but when you get close
you will see that it is actually made up of many, small flowers. The head
may have ray flowers on the outside and disc flowers on the inside, or only
one of the two kinds. Many of the seeds, like the dandelion, have a fluffy
structure attached to the seed. This is called the pappus and helps the
seeds to spread in the wind. You probably know a lot of plants in the sunflower family. Sunflowers can be plants you eat or plants that you may grow in the yard. For example, did you know that lettuce is from the sunflower family? So are the marigolds in the garden! Maybe you have heard of Echinacea? It is a plant in the sunflower family that is used to make medicine. Some of the sunflowers are also weeds, like the dandelion. |
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| WHITETOP | ||
| LATIN NAME: Erigeron strigosus var. strigosus | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Whitetop is 30 to 70 cm tall with fibrous roots. The stem is covered in short, stiff hairs and may be reddish in larger plants. The leaves can be basal or on the stem, but you may not see the basal leaves because they quickly wither away. The stem leaves are alternate and linear in shape. There are several small heads with white ray flowers and yellow disc flowers. The bracts on the heads have glands. The achenes are 2-nerved and have a double pappus. The outer pappus is made of bristly scales and the inner pappus of fragile bristles. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Whitetop grows on clay, shale, or sandy soils in grasslands and forest clearings. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is found in a wide range in the province, from the Meadow Lake Provincial Park to the Souris River Valley. It is found in these four ecoregions: Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, and Mid-Boreal Upland. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Whitetop is apparently secure, occurring in two or three general regions of the province; however, populations are small and isolated, making this species vulnerable. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WHITETOP | ||
| * Are the ray flowers white or pinkish? * Does the pappus have two layers? * Do the bracts have glands? * Did you find it in a grassland or forest clearing in northern or central Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found whitetop! | ||
