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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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| PRAIRIE GROUNDSEL | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Packera plattensis | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Prairie groundsel has fibrous roots and a short, woody stem base. Sometimes, this plant may have runners. The stems are usually solitary and are covered in long, tangled, woolly hairs. The basal leaves are tufted with slender stalks, and are toothed or lobed. The stem leaves are smaller farther up the stem and are grey woolly. There are six to 20 heads in a cluster, each with a densely woolly stalk. The bracts are linear and purple-tipped. Each head has six to ten yellow ray flowers. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Prairie groundsel grows in grasslands, sloughs, shores, and open woods. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is widespread in Saskatchewan and is found in all 11 ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Prairie groundsel is threatened. No threats are known or anticipated for prairie groundsel. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY PRAIRIE GROUNDSEL | |||||||||
| * Are there six to ten yellow ray flowers? * Are the stems and leaves woolly? * Are the basal leaves lobed or dissected? * Did you find it in a grassland, slough, shore, or wooded area? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found prairie groundsel! | |||||||||
