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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE LILY FAMILY | |||||||||
| The lilies are well-known in Saskatchewan. The most easily recognizable lily is the western red lily, our provincial flower. These plants are perennial herbs that grow from an underground bulb. The leaves are either on the stem or in basal rosettes. If the leaves are on the stem, they are alternately arranged and sheathing at the base. The inflorescences are at the top of the plant and are in an unbranched or umbrella-like cluster. Occasionally the flowers may be solitary. The flowers are usually regular in shape and have coloured tepals. The tepals frequently have stripes or spots. Each flower has six stamens and a superior ovary. The fruit is a capsule. | |||||||||
| WESTERN SOLOMON’S-SEAL | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Maianthemum racemosum ssp. amplexicaule | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Western Solomon’s-seal can be over 1 m tall! This species has branched rhizomes. The stem is arching and is nearly 1 cm wide. The leaves have stalks up to 6 mm long. There are between seven and 12 oval-shaped leaves on each stem. The tip of the leaves may be tapered or tail-like. The inflorescence is a branched cluster of seven to 250 small flowers. The fruit is a berry that is green with copper spots when young and deep red when mature. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Western Solomon’s-seal grows in moist woods and thickets. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Western Solomon’s-seal is threatened because of rarity in Saskatchewan. Its occurrence is regionally highly restricted. Some local populations are small and some larger. No immediate threats are known but quite possible in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WESTERN SOLOMON’S-SEAL | |||||||||
| * Are the flowers small and in branched clusters? * Is the fruit a berry? * Are the flowers stalked? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found western Solomon’s-seal! | |||||||||
