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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. | ||
| SMALLFLOWER GRASS-OF-PARNASSUS | ||
| LATIN NAME: Parnassia palustris var. parviflora | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Smallflower grass-of-parnassus grows to 30 cm tall from fibrous roots. The single stem leaf is inserted at or below the middle 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 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. The fruit is a many-seeded capsule. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Smallflower grass-of-parnassus grows in wet meadows. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is only found in southeastern Saskatchewan in the Aspen Parkland ecoregion. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Smallflower grass-of-parnassus is threatened because it is extremely rare and is only known from two locations in Saskatchewan. Possible threats have been identified for this species. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY SMALLFLOWER GRASS-OF-PARNASSUS | ||
| * Is the stem leaf inserted at or below the middle
of the stem? * Are the petals slightly longer than the sepals? * Are the sterile stamens 5 – 7-lobed? * Did you find it in southeastern Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found smallflower grass-of-parnassus! | ||
