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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE ROCK ROSE FAMILY | |||||||||
| The rock roses are a family of shrubs and herbs that are found mainly in temperate regions. These plants usually have opposite leaves, but alternate and whorled leaves are also common. The leaves are generally small with a smooth margin and may be scale-like. The flowers are in inflorescences where the terminal flower matures first or the flowers are solitary in the leaf axils. The flowers have five sepals, three or five petals, and numerous stamens. The fruit is a capsule that is leathery or woody. The seeds are small and angular. Plants in the rock rose family are usually found in exposed areas with alkaline or sandy soil. | |||||||||
| LARGEPOD PINWEED | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Lechea intermedia var. depauperata | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Largepod pinweed grows 10 – 60 cm tall from a slender, dark coloured taproot. This perennial plant has a thin stem that is usually less than 2 mm wide. The leaves are alternate and do not have leaf stalks. The leaves of the basal offshoots are lance-shaped while the stem leaves are linear. The underside of the leaf is hairless except for the midrib and margin. The inflorescence is slender and cylindrical and is made of small, dark red flowers. The fruit is a 3-parted capsule that is barely longer than the sepals. Four to six seeds are produced in each capsule and are shaped like the segments of an orange. The seeds are light brown with gray, membranous patches. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Largepod pinweed grows in sandy soil, areas prone to periodic flooding, and occasionally in recently burned areas. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant grows in northwestern Saskatchewan in the Athabasca Plain ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Largepod pinweed is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is rare and highly regionally restricted in the province. Most local populations are small. Some populations may be protected within the Athabasca Sand Dunes Park Land Reserve. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY LARGEPOD PINWEED | |||||||||
| * Are the flowers very small and red? * Are the seeds light brown with gray patches? * Is the capsule divided into three parts? * Did you find in northwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have largepod pinweed! | |||||||||
