|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
|||||||||
| THE ROSE FAMILY | |||||||||
| The rose family is one of the most
well known plant families in Saskatchewan. Plants in this family are trees,
shrubs or herbs. The shrubs or trees are commonly armed with prickles or
spines. The leaves can be simple or compound and frequently have a saw-toothed
margin. A pair of stipules is usually present at the base of the stem leaves.
The flowers are in various types of clusters or can be solitary. The flowers
are frequently brightly coloured and showy. The flowers have five sepals
and petals, five to many stamens in whorls and one to many fused or distinct
carpels. The fruits can be drupes (ex. cherry), pomes (ex. apple), or aggregates
of achenes (ex. strawberry), pods, or drupelets (ex. raspberry). Many fruit crops are members of the rose family. Cherry, apple, pear, raspberry and strawberry are examples. Roses are used for medicine and for their essential oils. Many roses are grown as ornamentals in gardens. |
|||||||||
| AMERICAN PLUM | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Prunus americana | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| American plum is a small, thicket-forming shrub or tree with thorny branches. The leaves are simple with a doubly saw-toothed margin. The leaf stalk may be glandular near the leaf. The flowers are in bundles of two to five and appear before the leaves. The flowers have five green sepals, five white petals, and 20 to 30 stamens. The fruit is one-seeded, fleshy and yellowish or reddish-purple in colour. The stone or seed is compressed. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| American plum grows on the borders of wooded rivers. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in southeastern Saskatchewan in the Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland, and Boreal Transition ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| American plum is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. Immediate or probable threats have been identified. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY AMERICAN PLUM | |||||||||
| * Is the leaf margin doubly saw-toothed? * Are the flowers in bundles of two to five? * Are the fruits fleshy and one-seeded? * Did you find it in southeastern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found American plum! |
|||||||||
