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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE SAXIFRAGE FAMILY | ||
| Saxifrages are found around the world. Plants in this family are herbs, and may be somewhat fleshy. The leaves are alternate, opposite or all basal. The leaves are often toothed or lobed. The flowers are usually in branched clusters, though occasionally they may be solitary. The flowers have both the male and female parts and have a well-developed hypanthium. The hypanthium is the fusion of part of the sepals, petals and stamens that enlarges in fruit. There are four or five sepals and petals. The fruits are capsules or clusters of pods. | ||
| MOUNTAIN GRASS-OF-PARNASSUS | ||
| LATIN NAME: Parnassia palustris var. montanensis | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Mountain grass-of-parnassus grows to 30 cm tall from fibrous roots. The single stem leaf is inserted on the lower third of the stem and is sessile. The flowers are solitary at the top of the stem. The sepal lobes are upward pointing in flower and spreading in fruit. The petals are only slightly longer than the sepals and are creamy or yellowish in colour. The sterile stamens have five to seven segments. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Mountain grass-of-parnassus grows in wet meadows and thickets. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is only found in northeastern Saskatchewan in the Tazin Lake Upland ecoregion. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Mountain grass-of-Parnassus is threatened because of rarity in Saskatchewan. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY MOUNTAIN GRASS-OF-PARNASSUS | ||
| * Is the single stem leaf on the lower third of
the stem? * Are the petals slightly longer than the sepals? * Are the sterile stamens 5 – 7-lobed? * Did you find it in northern Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found mountain grass-of-parnassus! | ||
