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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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| OPPOSITELEAF BAHIA | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Picradeniopsis oppositifolia | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Oppositeleaf bahia is 10 to 20 cm tall. Taproots and creeping rhizomes are present. The stem is very leafy and can be woody. It is covered in soft, white hairs and glands. The leaves are opposite and divided into threes. The leaves are also covered in soft, white hairs and the edges are smooth. There are one to six heads in loose clusters. Each head has seven to nine dark green bracts that are covered in white hairs. There are four to seven yellow ray flowers and 30 to 40 disc flowers. The fruits have glands and the pappus is made of eight or nine scales. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Oppositeleaf bahia grows on dry clay soils in grasslands. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Mixed Grassland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Oppositeleaf bahia is endangered because it is only found in one small area of the province and most populations are small. This species faces threats such as occurring in heavily populated areas, fragile habitats, and planned developments. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY OPPOSITELEAF BAHIA | |||||||||
| * Is the pappus of scales? * Are the leaves opposite? * Are the stem and leaves covered in soft, white hairs? * Did you find it in a dry clay soil in a grassland in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found oppositeleaf bahia! | |||||||||
