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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE LILY FAMILY | |||||||||
| The lilies are well-known in Saskatchewan. The most easily recognizable lily is the western red lily, our provincial flower. These plants are perennial herbs that grow from an underground bulb. The leaves are either on the stem or in basal rosettes. If the leaves are on the stem, they are alternately arranged and sheathing at the base. The inflorescences are at the top of the plant and are in an unbranched or umbrella-like cluster. Occasionally the flowers may be solitary. The flowers are usually regular in shape and have coloured tepals. The tepals frequently have stripes or spots. Each flower has six stamens and a superior ovary. The fruit is a capsule or berry. | |||||||||
| SCOTCH FALSE ASPHODEL | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Tofieldia pusilla | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Scotch false asphodel grows as tall as 20 cm from thick rhizomes. The stem is slender and hairless. The leaves are in basal tufts and have their edges oriented towards the stem. The flowers are in an unbranched cluster of three to 35 flowers. The inflorescence bracts are whitish with deeply three-lobed edges. The flower stalks are solitary and whitish or greenish in colour. The capsule is very small and nearly round. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Scotch false asphodel grows in muskegs and on boulder ledges. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in northern Saskatchewan in the Selwyn Lake Upland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Scotch false asphodel is endangered because it is rare and is restricted to northeastern Saskatchewan. No threats are known or anticipated for this species at the present time. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY SCOTCH FALSE ASPHODEL | |||||||||
| * Are the flowers whitish to greenish? * Are the flower stalks solitary? * Is the stem slender and hairless? * Did you find it in northeastern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Scotch false asphodel! | |||||||||
