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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE PHLOX FAMILY | |||||||||
| The phlox family has few representatives in Saskatchewan. In this province, these plants are low-growing annual or perennial herbs. The leaves are simple or compound and may have entire or divided margins. The leaves can be alternate or opposite on the stem. The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils or in variously branched clusters. The flowers have five sepals, petals, and stamens. The sepals and petals are fused to form tubes. The petals are funnel-shaped and can be white to pink or lavender in colour. The fruit is a capsule. | |||||||||
| NORTHERN LINANTHUS | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Linanthus septentrionalis | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Northern linanthus grows as tall as 30 cm. The stems are slender and branched above the base. The leaves are opposite and divided into five to seven segments. The leaves are 5 to 20 mm long and appear clustered. The flowers are in the axils of the leaves on long stalks. The sepals are fused and have five, triangular lobes. The petals are white or lavender in colour and are longer than the sepals. The inside of the petal tube is hairy where the stamens are attached. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Northern linanthus grows in moist to dry prairie depressions. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland and Mixed Grassland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Northern linanthus is threatened because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. It is regionally restricted in the province and population sizes vary. Possible threats have been identified for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY NORTHERN LINANTHUS | |||||||||
| * Are the petals white or lavender? * Are the leaves divided into five to seven segments? * Is the inside of the petal tube hairy where the stamens are attached? * Did you find in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found northern linanthus! | |||||||||
