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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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| EASTER-DAISY | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Townsendia hookeri | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Easter-daisy is a low-growing, tufted plant. The root crown and taproot are woody. The leaves are all basal and have white hairs that make the leaves appear greyish-green. The heads are solitary and are found among the leaves. The bracts are in three or four overlapping rows and are purple or green with purple tips. There are 15 to 20 white or creamy ray flowers. There are several yellow disc flowers. The fruits are hairy. The pappus is made of barbed bristles that barely exceed the petals. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Easter-daisy grows on dry hillsides in grasslands. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in the southern and central regions of the province in the Mixed Grassland, Moist Mixed Grassland and Aspen Parkland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| No information is available regarding the threatened status of this species in Saskatchewan. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY EASTER-DAISY | |||||||||
| * Are the leaves all basal? * Are the heads mixed in with the leaves? * Is the plant very low to the ground? * Did you find it on a dry hillside in southern or central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Easter-daisy! | |||||||||
