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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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| EATON’S ASTER | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Symphyotrichum eatonii | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Eaton’s aster grows as tall as 40 to 100 cm. The root system is made of well-developed rhizomes. The stems are branched and may be purplish at the base. The leaves are both basal and on the stem. The basal leaves are narrowed to the base and usually fall off. The upper leaves do not have stalks. The leaves on the main stem are larger than the leaves on the branches. All of the leaves are hairless and have a smooth to slightly toothed edge. The heads are both at the top of the plant and in the leaf axils. The bracts are in several subequal rows, are green in colour, and are without glands. There are 20 to 40 violet, blue, or white ray flowers in each head. The heads also have disc flowers. The fruits are hairy and have a white or brownish pappus. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Eaton’s aster grows in moist woods and thickets. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in the southwestern part of the province in the Cypress Upland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Eaton’s aster is rare because the population sizes vary from large to small and because this species is only found in one area of Saskatchewan. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY EATON’S ASTER | |||||||||
| * Are the upper leaves without stalks? * Are the bracts green and without glands? * Are the ray flowers violet, blue, or white? * Did you find it in the Cypress Hills of southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Eaton’s aster! | |||||||||
