|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
||
| THE FIGWORT FAMILY | ||
| The figwort family is very common in Saskatchewan. The leaves are usually opposite, though they may be alternate, whorled, or all basal. The leaf margin may be entire to pinnately or palmately lobed. The flowers are irregular and are commonly 2-lipped. The upper lip usually has two lobes and the lower lip three lobes. Each flower has two or four stamens. If four stamens are present, they are in two groups of two and are usually attached to the petals. The sepals and the petals are commonly fused together. In some species, large, brightly-coloured bracts hide the flowers. The fruit is a many-seeded capsule. | ||
| ARCTIC EYEBRIGHT | ||
| LATIN NAME: Euphrasia subarctica | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Arctic eyebright is a slender, hairy-stemmed plant which may be parasitic on the roots of other plants. The leaves are opposite and in pairs of three to ten. The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils. The sepals are unequally 4-lobed and hairy. The petals are white with purple lines and have a yellow spot in the middle. The upper lip is slightly 2-lipped and the lower lip is spreading. The capsule is flattened and hairy. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Arctic eyebright grows in woods, clearings, rocky shores, and sedge-fen borders. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is found in northern Saskatchewan in the Mid-Boreal Upland, Churchill River Upland, Athabasca Plain, and Tazin Lake Upland ecoregions. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Arctic eyebright is threatened because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY ARCTIC EYEBRIGHT | ||
| * Are the leaves opposite? * Are the sepals unequally 4-lobed? * Are the petals white with purple lines and a yellow spot in the middle? * Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? |
||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found arctic eyebright! | ||
