Wild Plants

Wild Plants in the LFG Forest

(UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

TREES | SHRUBS | FORBS | GRAMINOIDS | FERNS

Trees

TREES | SHRUBS | FORBS | GRAMINOIDS | FERNS

Alder, river

Latin Name: Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia

Habitat	Grows in thickets along banks of rivers, streams, or wetlands
Stems	Multiple crooked trunks, bent in wide curve at base. Dark brown to purplish black with scattered pale lenticels; new growth reddish brown; thin and smooth
Leaves	Simple, alternate, deciduous, oval, 1 leaf per node, 6-12 veins, upper surface dull green, sticky hairs underneath, coarsely toothed margins
Blooms	Catkins appear before leaves, brownish yellow male catkins, purplish brown female catkins. 4 sepals and 4 stamens on male flowers, 1 pistil and 4 bracts on female flowers
Fruit	Nutlet with dry papery wing in woody cone that stays on the tree for several season

Ash, green

Latin Name: Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Introduced Species

Habitat	River banks, forests, floodplains
Stems	Grey, furrowed, upright trunk, spreading upper branches
Leaves	Compound, 5-9 leaflets, 2 leaves per node, smooth margins, yellow-green
Blooms	Green, purple, or brown
Fruit	Green, dry, does not split open when ripe

Aspen, trembling

Latin Name: Populus tremuloides

Habitat	Forests, forest edges, woodlands, grows in thickets
Stems	Thin, smooth, greenish white, doesn't peel, furrowed in older trees, with blackened spots and lines, new growth yellowish green, long trunk with narrow rounded crown
Leaves	Simple, one leaf per node, alternate, oval, pointed, finely toothed, dark green above, pale green below, shiny, stalks slender and flattened, flutter in slight breeze
Blooms	Catkins bloom before leaves, male catkins greyish white, short; female catkins green, long; 5-12 stamens on male flower, 1 pistil on female, male and female catkins on separate trees
Fruit	Cone-shaped capsule, dry and splits open when ripe, releasing numerous seeds with silky white hairs

Birch, white

Latin Name: Betula neoalaskana/papyrifera

Habitat	May grow in moist woodlands
Stems	One or many trunks, average 30m tall, white peeling bark with horizontal lenticels, new growth reddish brown
Leaves	Simple, alternate, deciduous, 1 leaf per node, triangle to egg-shaped, coarsely and doubly toothed, dull green on top, pale green below
Blooms	Catkins appear before leaves, males long, females short, on the same tree, 3 stamens on male flowers, 1 pistil on female flowers.
Fruit	Samaras borne on scales, brown

Buckthorn, common

Latin Name: Rhamnus cathartica
Introduced Species

Habitat	Forests, forest edges, meadowns, fields
Stems	Up to 6m tall, grey branches, short thorn at the tips
Leaves	Simple, one or two leaves per node, opposite or alternate, oval to elliptic, smooth margins, 3 pairs of prominent lateral veins curving towards leaf tip.
Blooms	Greenish yellow, in umbels of 5-25 flowers borne in leaf axils, unisexual with 4 sepals, 4 petals, 4 stamens, and 1 pistil.
Fruit	Fleshy, black, berry shaped, 4 seeds, poisonous

Maple, manitoba

Latin Name: Acer negundo
Introduced Species

Habitat	Riverbanks, floodplains
Stems	Up to 20m tall, grey furrowed bark, wide spreading branches, new growth translucent bluish-purplish-white
Leaves	Compound with 3-5 leaflets, leaflets oval to lance-shaped, opposite, pinnate, lobed, 2 leaves per node, short-stalked
Blooms	Drooping raceme, greenish yellow in clusters, appear before leaves, male and female on separate plants, 4-5sepals and 4-10 stamens on males, 5 sepals and 1 pistil on females
Fruit	Samara, one-seeded, borne in pairs (one seed in each wing), dry, splits when ripe

Poplar, balsam

Latin Name: Populus balsamifera

Habitat	Riverbanks, moist forests
Stems	Up to 25m tall, straight trunk, erect branches, deeply furrowed bark, new growth greyish brown.
Leaves	Simple, one leaf per node, alternate, toothed, oval to lance-shaped, round stalked, dark green above, pale green below
Blooms	Catkins appearing before leaves, male and female on separate trees, male catkins red, male flowers with 12-30 stamens, female catkins grey, female flowers with one pistil.
Fruit	Capsule, many seeds, covered with cottony hairs, blown about by the wind.

Spruce, white

Latin Name: Picea glauca

Habitat	Muskegs, bogs, riverbanks, moist forests
Stems	Up to 40m tall, conical shape, narrow crown, bark thin, scaly, greysih brown, twigs hairless
Leaves	Evergreen, 4-sided, sharp, stiff, arranged in spirals on the twig
Blooms	Value
Fruit	Cylindrical seed cones with rounded ends, 2.5-3.0cm, light brown cone scales, hanging from upper branches. Pollen cones red

Shrubs

Currant, American black

Currant, northern black

Dogwood, red osier

Elderberry, red

Gooseberry, northern

Hawthorn, round-leaved

Hazelnut, beaked

Honeysuckle, bracted

Honeysuckle, twining

Mountain-ash, European

Wolfwillow (Silverberry)

TREES | SHRUBS | FORBS | GRAMINOIDS | FERNS

Buckbrush

Latin Name: Symphoricarpos occidentalis

Habitat	Open woodlands, dry slopes, often in colonies
Stems	Copper stems, up to 1m tall
Leaves	Opposite, simple, oval to oblong, greyish green, wavy margins
Blooms	Funnel shaped pinkish white flowers in terminal spike, borne in leaf axils, 4-5 petals, sepals, and stamens, 1 pistil.
Fruit	Whitish green berry, turning purplish black in winter

Buffaloberry, Canada

Latin Name: Shepherdia canadensis

Habitat	Riverbanks, open woodlands
Stems	1-3m tall, greyish black bark, new growth rusty
Leaves	Opposite smooth edged leaves, oval to elliptic, dark green above, coppery brown and scaly below
Blooms	Yellow-brown to yellow-green, appear before leaves, borne in leaf axils, 4 sepals, 8 stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Bright red-orange berriesCylindrical seed cones with rounded ends, 2.5-3.0cm, light brown cone scales, hanging from upper branches. Pollen cones red

Chokecherry

Latin Name: Symphoricarpos occidentalis

Habitat	Open woodlands, dry slopes, often in colonies
Stems	Copper stems, up to 1m tall
Leaves	Opposite, simple, oval to oblong, greyish green, wavy margins
Blooms	Funnel shaped pinkish white flowers in terminal spike, borne in leaf axils, 4-5 petals, sepals, and stamens, 1 pistil.
Fruit	Pea sized reddish purple to purplish black cherries with a large stone

Cotoneaster

Latin Name: Cotoneaster lucidus
Introduced Species

Habitat	Value
Stems	Value
Leaves	Value
Blooms	Value
Fruit	Value

Cranberry, highbush

Latin Name: Viburnum opulus var. americanum

Habitat	Moist woods, riverbanks, wetland edges
Stems	Up to 4m tall, grey bark, thin and smooth
Leaves	Opposite, deciduous, two leaves per node, deeply 3-lobed and coarsely toothed, dark green
Blooms	White sterile flowers, smaller fertile flowers, in a cyme (flat circular cluster)
Fruit	Reddish orange berry-like drupe in large terminal clusters, acid

Cranberry, lowbush

Latin Name: Viburnum edule

Habitat	Moist woods, riverbanks, wetland edges
Stems	Up to 2.5m tall, greyish brown bark
Leaves	Opposite, simple, round, shallowly 3-lobed, coarsely toothed, prominently 3-5-veined
Blooms	White, 5 sepals, petals, and stamens, 1 pistil, in compound cyme of 3-30 flowers
Fruit	Large red berries borne in small clusters at leaf nodes, strongly acid

Currant, American black

Latin Name: Ribes americanum

Habitat	Along streams, wooded slopes, or open meadowsMoist woods, riverbanks, wetland edges
Stems	Up to 1m tall
Leaves	Simple, round, alternate, palmately 3-5 lobed, doubly toothed, resinous dots on upper and lower surfaces
Blooms	Yellow to cream, bell shaped, in clusters hanging from leaf axils
Fruit	Globular smooth black berry with residual flower at one end

Currant, northern black

Latin Name: Ribes hudsonianum

Habitat	Moist woodlands
Stems	Up to 1.5m tall, grey to purplish black barkUp to 2.5m tall, greyish brown bark
Leaves	Alternate, round, 5-7 lobed, coaresly toothed, glandular hairs on underside
Blooms	White , saucer shaped, 5 sepals, 5 pistils, 5 stamens, 1 pistil, in erect to ascending raceme of 6-12 flowers
Fruit	Black berry, strong smelling and bitter tasting

Dogwood, red osier

Latin Name: Cornus sericea

Habitat	Moist woodlands, meadows, and shores, grows in thickets
Stems	1-3m tall, bright red bark, occasionally purplish, green, or grey, loose, spreading, multi-stemmed shrub
Leaves	Large, opposite, deciduous, oval to lance-shaped, smooth margins, dark green upper surface, light green lower surface
Blooms	Flat-topped cyme of white flowers, 4 petals, sepals and stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	White berry like drupe with stone, sometimes tinged with blue

Elderberry, red

Latin Name: Sambucus racemosa

Habitat	Moist open woodlands and forest edgesMoist woodlands
Stems	1-3m tall, greyish brown bark, large bushy shrub
Leaves	Opposite, two leaves per node, pinnately compound with 5-7 leaflets, elliptic to lance shaped, toothed
Blooms	5 sepals, petals, and stamens, 1 pistil, yellow to green, in a pyramid to oval shaped panicle or flower cluster
Fruit	Red berry like drupe, bitter

Gooseberry, northern

Latin Name: Ribes oxyacanthoides

Habitat	Moist open woodlands, clearings
Stems	About 1.5m tall, erect to sprawling, bark whitish grey, bristly branches with spines at nodes
Leaves	Alternate, palmately lobed, spines at base
Blooms	5 sepals, petals, and stamens, 1 pistil, greenish white in a short raceme
Fruit	Reddish purple berry, many seeded, translucent skin, brownish "wick" on the end, edible

Hawthorn, round-leaved

Latin Name: Crataegus rotundifolia

Habitat	Dry valleys and open woods
Stems	1-6m tall, crooked trunk, shiny slender black thorns
Leaves	Alternate, round, simple, 1 leaf per node, dull yellow-green, toothed and shallowly lobed
Blooms	5 sepals, petals, and stamens, 1 pistil, white in a flat-topped corymb
Fruit	Small bright red succulent berries with hard seeds

Hazelnut, beaked

Latin Name: Corylus cornuta

Habitat	Moist deciduous woodlands, forest edges
Stems	Up to 3m tall, greyish brown bark, new growth fuzzy, several branching stems
Leaves	Simple, 1 leaf per node, alternate, oval, coarsely toothed
Blooms	Male and female flowers spearate but on the same plant. Male catkins yellowish brown with 4 stamens per flower, developing in fall, female catkins reddish pink with 1 pistil per flower, developing in the spring.
Fruit	Nut in clusters of 2-6, in a green leafy sheath

Honeysuckle, bracted

Latin Name: Lonicera involucrata

Habitat	Moist woodlands
Stems	1-3m tall, brownish green bark, older bark shredding
Leaves	Opposite, oval, prominently veined, smooth margins
Blooms	Tubular yellow flowers in a two-flowered raceme in a leaf axil, 5 sepals, petals, and stamens, 1 pistil, 2 bracts
Fruit	Shiny purplish black berry in pairs, reddish purple bracts

Honeysuckle, twining

Latin Name: Lonicera dioica

Habitat	Open dry forests, thickets
Stems	1-3m tall, woody vine, older bark shredding
Leaves	Opposite, oval, smooth upperside and margins, hairy underside, upper leaves stalkless
Blooms	Yellow-orange tubular 2-lipped flowers in a 3-9 flowered spike, 5 sepals, petals, and stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Red Berry

Mountain-ash, European

Latin Name: Sorbus aucuparia
Introduced Species

Habitat	Forests, meadows, and fields
Stems	Up to 15m tall, upright trunk, copious branching, oval crown, bark thin smooth and grey
Leaves	Compound, up to 13 leaflets, hairy undersides, and hairy leaf buds, 1 leaf per node, toothed.
Blooms	Small, white, in dense clusters
Fruit	Bright red berry sized pome

Pincherry

Latin Name: Prunus pensylvanica

Habitat	Moist forested areas and clearings, and dry sandy woods and burned areas
Stems	Straight trunk, up to 12m tall, usually shorter, smooth reddish brown bark, older bark with horizontal lenticels
Leaves	Alternate, simple, 1 leaf per node, thin, slender pointed leaves, widest below midpoint, prominent mid-vein, finely toothed.
Blooms	Small white flowers in a convex corymb, 5 petals and sepals, 20 stamens, and 1 pistil
Fruit	Bright red berry like drupe with large stones

Raspberry, trailing (dewberry)

Latin Name: Rubus pubescens

Habitat	Moist forests and thickets, streambanks, boggy and mossy areas
Stems	Stems 10-30cm tall, and trailing stems 10-100cm long, reddish brown bark
Leaves	Alternate, compound, 3-5 oval leaflets, sharply toothed, 1 leaf per node
Blooms	Pink to white, 5 sepals and petals, numerous stamens and pistils, solitary or 2-4 at the crown or at nodes along the runnersSmall, white, in dense clusters
Fruit	Clusters of bright red druplets

Raspberry, wild red

Latin Name: Rubus idaeus

Habitat	Thickets, open aspen forests, riverbanks, fields
Stems	Upright woody stems with prickles, 1-2m tall, new growth green to reddish-brown
Leaves	Alternate, pinnately compound with 3-5 pointed oval leaflets, 2-4 lateral and 1 larger terminal, margins sharply toothed, sometimes notched
Blooms	White, 5 sepals and petals, numerous stamens and pistils, solitary or in groups of 2-5, borne on second year growth only
Fruit	Clusters of bright red druplets

Rose, common wild

Latin Name: Rosa woodsii

Habitat	Thickets, prairies, riverbanks
Stems	20-50cm tall, thick thorns at joints only near base, no prickles on upper stems
Leaves	Alternate, pinnately compound with 5-9 oval leaflets, coaresley toothed
Blooms	Small solitary terminal pink flowers with 5 petals and sepals, numerous stamens and pistils, prominent hypantheum
Fruit	Globe shaped "hip" many seeded

Rose, prickly wild

Latin Name: Rosa acicularis

Habitat	Open woods and thickets
Stems	Up to 1.5m tall, prickles on all branches
Leaves	Alternate, pinnately compound with 3-7 oval leaflets, coaresley toothed
Blooms	Small solitary terminal pink flowers with 5 petals and sepals, numerous stamens and pistils, prominent hypantheum.
Fruit	Pear shaped "hip" many seeded

Snowberry

Latin Name: Symphoricarpos albus

Habitat	Moist forests
Stems	Usually 50-75cm tall, numerous delicate broom like branchings
Leaves	Pale green opposite oval leaves, soft hair son underside
Blooms	Pink to white funnel shaped flowers in 2-3-flowered raceme borne in upper leaf axils and stem tips, 4-5 petals, sepals, and stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Waxy white berry like drupes, turning purplish black with age

Willow, basket

Latin Name: Salix petiolaris

Habitat	Riverbanks
Stems	2-7m tall, reddish brown bark, new growth may be yellowish, plants are male or female
Leaves	Alternate, elliptic, long and narrow with long stalks, margins wavy or finely toothed
Blooms	Catkins appear with leaves, female catkins slightly longer, male flowers with 2 stamens and 1 bract, female flowers with 1 pistil and 1 bract
Fruit	Capsule, seeds with fine white hairs

Willow, beaked

Latin Name: Salix bebbiana

Habitat	Moist areas of aspen to coniferous forests, in thickets and along streambanks
Stems	1-6m tall with a broad rounded crown, bark reddish brown, greying with age, furrowed, trunks growing in clumps, twigs may or may not be hairy, plants males or female
Leaves	Alternate, variable leaf shape, oval to lance-chaped, margins smooth to wavy, upper surface dull grey, lower surface grey and prominently veined.
Blooms	Catkins appear before or concurrently with leaves, female catkins slightly longer, male flowers with 2 stamens and 1 bract, female flowers with 1 pistil and 1 bract
Fruit	Capsule, seeds with fine white hairs

Willow, hungry

Latin Name: Salix famelica

Habitat	Value
Stems	1.5-7m tall, branches yellow to yellow gery or yellow brown, branchlets yellow brown to red-brown
Leaves	Value
Blooms	Value
Fruit	Value

Willow, pussy

Latin Name: Salix discolor

Habitat	Moist areas from open forests to wetlands to streambanks
Stems	2-6m tall, trunks erect and multiple, open rounded crown, bark yellow to reddish brown, twigs may or may not be hairy, plants are male or female
Leaves	Simple, one leaf per node, elliptic to oval, long and broad, bright green, finely haired on underside and upperside, margins may be toothed
Blooms	Soft hairy catkins, male catkins grey, furry, and upright
Fruit	Capsule, seeds with fine white hairs

Wolfwillow (Silverberry)

Latin Name: Elaeagnus commutata

Habitat	Open slopes, grasslands, riverbanks, gravel bars, forest edges
Stems	1-4m tall, rounded, thicket forming with dense twigs along branches, older bark purplish brown, younger twigs reddish-greyish brown1.5-7m tall, branches yellow to yellow gery or yellow brown, branchlets yellow brown to red-brown
Leaves	Alternate, lance shaped, silvery grey with tiny dense hairs, margins wavy
Blooms	Small, cone-shaped, yellow on the inside, silver on the outside, in clusters of 2-5 borne in leaf axils, fragrant, 4 sepals and stamens, 1 pistil, no petals
Fruit	Silver coloured dry berry with tough skin and mealy texture

Forbs

Baneberry, red and white

Bedstraw, northern

Bedstraw, small

Bedstraw, sweet-scented

Coltsfoot, palmate-leaved

Cow parsnip

Dandelion, common

Dogbane, spreading

Fairybells, rough-fruited

Solomon's seal, star-flowered false

Vetchling, cream-colored

Violet, Canada

Wintergreen, pink-flowered

Yarrow, woolly

TREES | SHRUBS | FORBS | GRAMINOIDS | FERNS

Agrimony

Latin Name: Agrimonia striata

Habitat	Open Woodlands
Stems	Up to 4 feet tall, with stiff stems, covered with stiff short brown hairs
Leaves	Alternate, compound, 1 leaf per node, 5-9 main leaflets along with several smaller ones, toothed, coarsely veined with soft hairs, dotted lower surface
Blooms	Yellow, with radilal symmetry, in a spike, 5 sepals and petals, 5-15 stamens, 2 pistils
Fruit	Composed of two achenes, with hooked bristles, dry but does not split when ripe

Anemone, Canada

Latin Name: Anemonastrum canadense

Habitat	Moist ditches, meadows, and thickets and open forests
Stems	Hairy stems 20-80cm tall
Leaves	1-5 basal leaves, palmately 3-5 divided, prominently veined, toothed, stem leaves similar, but whorled and stalkless, 3 leaves per node along the stem.
Blooms	1-3 White, solitary, long stalked, 5-6 petal-like sepals, numerous stamens and pistils
Fruit	Globe shaped hairy achene

Anemone, tall

Latin Name: Anemone virginiana

Habitat	Woods, thickets, cliffs, ledges, floodplains, streambanks, forest edges
Stems	Erect multiple stems up to 80cm tall
Leaves	Leaves deeply divided or lobed, margins toothed, stem leaves in whorls of three.
Blooms	Solitary, greenish white with elongated thimble shaped center, 2-6 flowers per stem, flower stalks with secondary stalks, 5 or more sepals, numerous stamens and pistils
Fruit	Long, cone-shaped achene

Aster, Lindley's

Latin Name: Symphyotrichum ciliatum

Habitat	Forest edges, fields, and open woods
Stems	Up to 100cm tall, stems may be hairless or with very fine hairs, long creeping rhizomeHairy stems 20-80cm tall
Leaves	Simple, basal leaves oval with winged stalks, toothed, stem leaves alternate and lance-shaped with one leaf per node, stalkless
Blooms	Flowers heads borne in open panicle, 20-35 yellow disc florets, 12-25 pale blue to violet ray florets, bracts with papery margins and green midrib
Fruit	Achene

Aster, showy

Latin Name: Eurybia conspicua

Habitat	Thicket edges and open forests
Stems	Up to 100cm tall, stiff stems with rough hairs, often branched near the top
Leaves	Alternate, oblong to oval, coarsely toothed, stalkless, rough texture
Blooms	Heads borne in large open flat-topped clusters, yellow-brown disc florets, pale purple to pink ray florets, bracts oblong and sticky, with pointed tip
Fruit	Achene

Avens, yellow

Latin Name: Geum aleppicum

Habitat	Edges of wetlands, swamps, rivershores, moist meadows and woodlands
Stems	Up to 100cm tall, with bristly hairs
Leaves	Stem leaves aLternate, compound with one leaf per node along the stem, 3-5 leaflets, basal leaves compound with 5-7 leaflets, stalked, terminal leaves deeply 3-lobed.
Blooms	Bright yellow in a panicle, 5 sepals and petals, 10 stamens, many pistils, flowers borne on bristly haired stalks
Fruit	Achene with hooked beak, in head-like clustersAchene

Avens, large-leaved

Latin Name: Geum macrophyllum var. perincisum

Habitat	Forests, swamps, and fields, thickets, edges of streams and roads
Stems	Up to 1m tall, hairy stems, short rhizomes
Leaves	Stem leaves alternate, compound, with one leaf per node along the stem, toothed or lobed, basal leaves larger, pinnately dividedLeaves deeply divided or lobed, margins toothed, stem leaves in whorls of three.
Blooms	Erect, yellow petals and green sepals, 5 of each, numerous stamens, solitary or in small clusters
Fruit	Clusters of achenes

Baneberry, red and white

Latin Name: Actaea rubra

Habitat	Deciduous and mixed coniferous forests, streambanks and swamps
Stems	Up to 100cm tall, hairless, woody, fibrous roots
Leaves	Alternate, compound, 1 leaf per node along the stem, 1-5 leaves per stem, coarsely toothed, divided 2-3 times into groups of 3 leaflets
Blooms	In a long stalked rounded cluster, 4-10 slender white petals, 3-5 sepals, many stamens, 1 pistil.
Fruit	Glossy red or white berry, black dot at apex

Bedstraw, northern

Latin Name: Galium boreale

Habitat	Forest edges, open woods and meadows, prairies, shores
Stems	Up to 80cm tall, square, smooth, numerous, erect, growing in clusters, simple or few branched, slender brown rootstock
Leaves	Simple, narrow, linear to lance-shaped, whorls of 4, margins smooth, short-stalked
Blooms	White or creamy, fragrant, in a crowded panicle, 4 petals, sepals and stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Nutlet, borne in pairs, covered with dense white hairs

Bedstraw, small

Latin Name: Galium trifidum

Habitat	Bogs, marshes, fens, shores of rivers or lakes, marshy ground, salt flats
Stems	Up to 30cm tall, square, with bristly hairs, numerous branches, forming mats
Leaves	Simple, whorls of 4, 3 or more leaves per node along the stem, linear to spatula-shaped, bristly hairs on margins and lower surface
Blooms	Greenish white in a 2-3 flowered cyme borne in leaf axils, 3 petals and sepals, 4 stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Nutlet, borne in pairs, covered with dense white hairs

Bedstraw, sweet-scented

Latin Name: Galium triflorum

Habitat	Moist wooded areas, thickets, edges of wetlands
Stems	Up to 100cm tall, square, may be smooth or bristly haired, trailing
Leaves	Simple, whorls of 6, 3 or more leaves per node along the stem, oblong to lance-shaped, bristle tipped, rough-haired margins, vanilla scented
Blooms	White, in 3-flowered cyme borne in leaf axils, 4 petals, sepals, and stamens, 1 pistilWhite or creamy, fragrant, in a crowded panicle, 4 petals, sepals and stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Nutlet, borne in pairs, covered with hooked bristles

Bishop's-cap, common

Latin Name: Mitella nuda

Habitat	Fens, rivershores, swamps, moist woodlands, wetland edges, often on rotting logs, often with bryophytes (mosses)
Stems	Up to 20cm tall, creeping rootstock
Leaves	Simple, basal, heart-shaped, stiff hairs on upper and lower surfaces, may be a single stem leaf
Blooms	Greenish white, in a 3-10 flowered raceme, 5 sepals and petals, petals finely branched, 10 stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	2-valved capsule with shiny black seeds

Burdock, common

Latin Name: Arctium minus
Introduced Species

Habitat	Forest edges, railway grades, disturbed areas
Stems	Up to 200cm tall, erect, branched
Leaves	Stem leaves simple, alternate, 1 leaf per node, basal leaves oblong to oval or heart-shaped, woolly hairs on lower surface
Blooms	Pink to purple, slender and tubular, stalkless flowerheads in a large panicle, rows of lance-shaped bracts with hooked tips.
Fruit	3-5 sided hairless achenes, pappus with short bristles

Cleavers

Latin Name: Galium aparine
Introduced Species

Habitat	Forests, thickets, shores, moist fields, meadows, swamps, disturbed areas
Stems	Stems sprawling, square, up to 150cm long, with hooked bristles, that makes them sticky
Leaves	Simple, in whorls of 6-8, 3 or more leaves per node along the stem, margins and midrib with bristly hairs, short-stalked, narrow, lance-shaped
Blooms	Greenish white, very small, - 3-9 flowered cyme, borne on stalks in leaf axils, 4 sepals petlas and stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Nutlet borne in pairs, surface with hooked bristles

Clover, alsike

Latin Name: Trifolium hybridum
Introduced Species

Habitat	Disturbed areas
Stems	Erect to ascending, up to 50cm tall, not rooting at nodes
Leaves	Compound, alternate, 1 leaf per node along the stem, leaflets relatively small (compared to other clovers) and without a notch at the tip
Blooms	Pinkish, smaller and in looser heads on short leafless stalks
Fruit	Legume

Clovers

Latin Name: Trifolium spp.
Introduced Species

Habitat	Disturbed areas
Stems	Erect or spreading stems, up to 80cm tall or long
Leaves	Divided into 3 oval leaflets
Blooms	Globe shaped raceme with many tiny flowers, white to pink
Fruit	legume, or pod

Coltsfoot, palmate-leaved

Latin Name: Petasites frigidus var. palmatus

Habitat	Moist woods and shallow waters, swamps, fens, roadsides.
Stems	15-50cm tall, plants can be male, female, or both
Leaves	Stem leaves simple, alternate, narrow, stalkless, basal leaves round, upper surfaces green, lower surfaces white and woolly, long-stalked, 5-7 lobed
Blooms	Ray and disc florets white, borne in a corymb or raceme, bracts in a single row
Fruit	Achene, pappus with soft white bristles

Cow parsnip

Latin Name: Heracleum maximum

Habitat	Moist areas, open fields and meadows, riverbanks, disturbed areas
Stems	Up to 2.5m tall, hollow, hairy, grooved, stout
Leaves	Large, basal, compound with 3 leaflets, prominently-veined alternate, 1 leaf per node, margins lobed to coarsely toothed, base of stalks inflated and clasping the stem
Blooms	Numerous tiny white flowers in flat compound umbels with numerous rays, 5 petals and stamens, 1 pistilGlobe shaped raceme with many tiny flowers, white to pink
Fruit	Schizocarp, flattened with a few ribs and 2 wings, breaks into 2 single seeded segments at maturity

Dandelion, common

Latin Name: Taraxacum officinale
Introduced Species

Habitat	Disturbed and cultivated areas, roadsides, lawns, rivershores, meadows, fields
Stems	40-75cm tall, hollow with milky sap, thick taproots
Leaves	Simple, basal, lance-shaped, triangular backward pointing lobes
Blooms	Bright yellow, ray florets only, solitary at top of stem, green bracts in several overlapping rows
Fruit	Reddish brown ribbed seed like achenes, with long stalked cluster (pappus) of white hairs

Dogbane, spreading

Latin Name: Apocynum androsaemifolium

Habitat	Open forests, dry sandy areas,
Stems	Up to 100cm tall, reddish green, widely branching, milky juce exudes when broken
Leaves	Simple, opposite, oval, 2 leaves per node along the stem, bright green, spreading or drooping, short-stalked, smooth margins.Divided into 3 oval leaflets
Blooms	Numerous tiny bell-shped pink flowers, striped on the inside, in a cyme borne at the ends of branches, fragrance similar to lilacs, 5 sepals, petals, stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Reddish green follicle borne in pairs

Fairybells, rough-fruited

Latin Name: Prosartes trachycarpa

Habitat	Moist woodlands
Stems	Up to 60cm tall, forked, drooping branches, thickly spreading rhizomes
Leaves	Alternate, oval, pointed tips and heart-shaped base, dark green, stalkless or clasping, prominently parallel veined, short hairs
Blooms	Green/yellow/creamy/white bell shaped flowers, solitary or in clusters of up to 4 borne in leaf axils at branch tips, drooping, 3 sepals and petals, 6 stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Rough-skinned deep red berry

Fireweed

Latin Name: Chamaenerion angustifolium

Habitat	Open areas, burn areas, riverbanks, grows in colonies
Stems	1-3m tall, tall, erect, unbranched, rhizome creeping
Leaves	Simple, alternate, 1 leaf per node, narrow, lance-shaped, prominently veined, short-stalked, smooth margins
Blooms	Clusters of 15-80 pink flowers in a terminal raceme, 4-sepals and petals, 8 stamens, 1 pistil, 4-lobed stigma
Fruit	Pinkish green capsule, often 4-sided, numerous seeds dispersed by long silky white haris

Goldenrod, Canada

Latin Name: Solidago canadensis complex

Habitat	Open meadows and forest edges, roadsides, clearings, thickets
Stems	Up to 120cm tall, upper stems finely, densely haired, creeping rhizome
Leaves	Simple, alternate, 1 leaf per node, lance-shaped, prominently three-veined, finely toothed, fine hairs on upper and lower surfaces
Blooms	Tiny yellow flowers in heads in pyramid shaped panicle on arching branches, yellowish green bracts in overlapping rows
Fruit	Achene, pappus with soft white bristles

Goldenrod, late

Latin Name: Solidago gigantea

Habitat	Moist open woodlands and shorelines, meadows and fields
Stems	Up to 2m tall, smooth stemmed and hairless below the flower cluster, creeping rhizome
Leaves	Simple, alternate, 1 leaf per node, lance-shaped, prominently three-veined, finely toothed, fine hairs on upper and lower surfaces
Blooms	Tiny yellow flowers in heads in pyramid shaped panicle on arching branches, yellowish green bracts in overlapping rows
Fruit	Achene, pappus with soft white bristles

Horsetails

Latin Name: Equisetum spp.

Habitat	Value
Stems	Joint branched, hollow, vertically ridged stems, creeping rootstock, perennial and evergreen
Leaves	Tiny scales, fused into sheaths on the stem
Blooms	Value
Fruit	Spores borne in cones at tips of stems

Lily-of-the-valley

Latin Name: Maianthemum canadense

Habitat	Moist aspen or spruce forests, in moss or leaf layer, may form large patches
Stems	Up to 25cm tall, short zigzag stem, slender branching rhizome
Leaves	Alternate, 1 leaf per node, 1-3 leaves total, oval with heart shaped base
Blooms	Small white flowers in a dense terminal raceme, on separate, delicate stems, 2 sepals and petals, 4 stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Pea-sized berry, mottled green-brown when unripe, pale red when ripe

Lungwort, tall

Latin Name: Mertensia paniculata

Habitat	Moist aspen or spruce forests, in shady areas
Stems	Up to 80cm tall, hairy, woody base
Leaves	Basal leaves dark green, long-stalked, prominently veined, both surfaces hairy; stem leaes alternate, stalkless
Blooms	Buds pink, flowers blue, funnel shaped in a cyme, 5 petals, sepals, and stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Wrinkled nutlet, 4 nutlets per flower

Meadow-rue, veiny

Latin Name: Thalictrum venulosum

Habitat	River and lake shores, aspen woodlands, moist prairies
Stems	Up to 90cm tall, hairless, plants are male or female
Leaves	Stem leaves compound, alternate, 1 leaf per node, 1-3 per stem, basal leaves compound with 3-lobed leaflets, pale bluish green, lower surface prominently veined
Blooms	Male and female flowers both greenish white, in a narrow many-flowered panicle
Fruit	Achene, borne in clusters

Nettle, stinging

Latin Name: Urtica dioica

Habitat	Moist open areas and forests, floodplains, disturbed areas, river and lakeshores
Stems	Up to 3m tall, 4 angled stem with tiny birstly stinging hairs
Leaves	Simple, opposite, oval, upper and lower surface with stinging hairs
Blooms	Slender branching clusters of tiny male or female flowers borne in leaf axils, yellow-green to purple-green, male flowers with 4 sepals and stamens, female flowers with 4 sepals and 1 pistil, male flowers higher in leaf axils than female flowers if on the same plant
Fruit	Achene, lens shaped, enclosed by two sepals

Peavine, purple

Latin Name: Lathyrus venosus

Habitat	Moist forests
Stems	Up to 1.5m tall, 4-angled stems, climbing on nearby plants
Leaves	Altnerate, pinnately compound with 8-12 leaflets, leaflets elliptical, lower surface prominently veined
Blooms	Pink to purple, irregular, in a 10-20 flowered raceme, 5 sepals and petals, 10 stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Prominently veined legume

Plantain, common

Latin Name: Plantago major
Introduced Species

Habitat	Cultivated meadows and fields, lawns, roadsides
Stems	Up to 60cm tall, leafless, smooth or finely haired, short rootstock
Leaves	Elliptic to lance shaped leaves in basal rosette, margins smooth, prominent parallel veins, ribbed on lower surface
Blooms	Small, greenish, with white petals, densely clustered in a tall slender terminal spike, conspicuous yellow stamens, oval bracts
Fruit	Egg shaped capsule, open like a lid to release seeds

Sarsaparilla, wild

Latin Name: Aralia nudicaulis

Habitat	Moist shady areas of aspen and mixed wood forests, often in colonies
Stems	Separate leaf and flower stems, up to 70cm tall with long thick woody horizontal rhizomes
Leaves	Compound with three divisions, each with 5 leaflets, leaflets oval and finely toothed
Blooms	Tiny greenish white flowers in globe shaped clusters, usually three per flowering stem, each on a separate stalk
Fruit	Berry-like drupe, green when unripe, purple to black when ripe

Solomon's seal, star-flowered false

Latin Name: Maianthemum stellatum

Habitat	Moist clearings and wooded areas, dunes, fens, wetlands
Stems	Single, unbranched zigzag arching stems, up to 100cm tall, thick rhizome,
Leaves	Dark green, alternate in two rows, broad, elliptic, parallel veined, smooth margins, stalkless
Blooms	Small, cream coloured, star shaped, in dense terminal clusters or panicles, 3 sepals and petals, 6 stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Berry, green with copper spots when unripe, red with purple spots when ripe.

Strawberry, wild

Latin Name: Fragaria virginiana

Habitat	Moist open woodlands and streambanks
Stems	Up to 25cm tall, short rootstock, runners produce new plants at nodes
Leaves	Basal, alternate, compound with 3 leaflets, leaflets oval, blue-green, stalkless, toothed, end tooth shorter than adjacent
Blooms	White, in 3-15 flowered raceme or panicle below leaves, 5 sepals and petals, many stamens and pistils, sepals backward pointing
Fruit	Achenes on surface of berry like fruit

Strawberry, woodland

Latin Name: Fragaria vesca

Habitat	Moist open woodlands and streambanks
Stems	Up to 25cm tall, short rootstock, runners produce new plants at nodes
Leaves	Basal, alternate, compound with 3 leaflets, leaflets oval, yellow-green, stalkless, toothed, end tooth longer than adjacent
Blooms	White, in 3-15 flowered raceme or panicle above leaves, 5 sepals and petals, many stamens and pistils, sepals backward pointing
Fruit	Achenes on surface of berry like fruit

Tansy, common

Latin Name: Tanacetum vulgare
Introduced Species

Habitat	Roadsides, pastures, shores of rivers and lakes
Stems	Up to 1.5m tall, rhizome woody
Leaves	Simple, compound, alternate, finely divided, fern-like shap
Blooms	Deep yellow disc flowers, up to 200 heads in a flat topped cluster, papery bracts in overlapping rows
Fruit	Achene, pappus small or absent

Thistle, Canada/creeping

Latin Name: Cirsium arvense
Introduced Species

Habitat	Roadsides, cultivated fields
Stems	Up to 150cm tall, hollow, leafy, deep spreading rhizome, plants are male or female
Leaves	Simple, alternate, lance-shaped, deeply lobed, margins with prickles, lower surface often with woolly hairs
Blooms	Pink to purple disc flowers, either male or female, heads borne in a corymb, green bracts in overlapping rows
Fruit	Achene, pappus of white bristles

Vetch, American

Latin Name: Vicia americana

Habitat	Open woods, fields, thickets, moist gravelly shores
Stems	Up to 40cm tall, slender, vine-like tangled stems, climbing adjacent plants
Leaves	Compound, pinnately divided into 8-12 leaflets, tendrils at ends
Blooms	Loose racemes of reddish purple pea-like flowers, 2-9 in a cluster
Fruit	Flat hairless pods

Vetchling, cream-colored

Latin Name: Lathyrus ochroleucus

Habitat	Moist forests, ridges, river and lake shores
Stems	Up to 1.5m tall, 4-angled, climbing on adjacent vegetation
Leaves	Alternate, pinnately compound with 8-12 leaflets, branched tendrils at tips, leaflets elliptic, lower surface prominently veined
Blooms	Irregular, purple to pink, in a 10-20 flowered raceme, 5 sepals, petals, 10 stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Prominently veined legume

Violet, Canada

Latin Name: Viola canadensis

Habitat	Moist forests, fields, thickets, rocky slopes
Stems	Up to 60cm tall, leafy
Leaves	Simple, alternate, deep green, broad, heart-shaped, toothed
Blooms	White to pale violet, yellow centre, purple veins, solitary, borne in upper leaf axils on slender purple stalks, hang and face outward, 5 sepals, petals and stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Capsule

Wintergreen, pink-flowered

Latin Name: Pyrola asarifolia

Habitat	Moist forests, thickets
Stems	Up to 1.5m tall, 4-angled, climbing on adjacent vegetation
Leaves	Simple, in a basal rosette, thick, leathery, glossy round, dark green upper surface, purplish lower surface, smooth margins
Blooms	Pink to red flowers in a 5-15 flowered raceme, nodding, 5 sepals, petals, 10 stamens, 1 pistil
Fruit	Capsule

Yarrow, woolly

Latin Name: Achillea borealis

Habitat	Prairies, roadsides, open woods, ridges, lake and river shores
Stems	Up to 80cm tall, hariy, armoatic, branching only near the top, spreading rhizomes
Leaves	Simple, alternate, multiply divided into feathery leaflets and subleaflets
Blooms	Yellow disc florets, white to pinkish white ray florets, in compact flat topped clusters
Fruit	Flattened achene, no pappus

Graminoids

Bluegrass, fowl

Bluegrass, Kentucky

Bluejoint, marsh reedgrass

Brome, smooth

Canarygrass, reed

Rice-grass, white-grained mountain

Sedge, bristle-leaved

Sedge, Dewey's

Sedge, Peck's

Rush, baltic

TREES | SHRUBS | FORBS | GRAMINOIDS | FERNS

Bluegrass, fowl

Latin Name: Poa palustris

Habitat	Moist Meadows and Woodlands, shores of rivers and lakes, wetlands
Stems	Up to 150cm tall, often purple at base, 3-6 nodes per stem
Leaves	Blades up to 20cm long, hairless, boat-shaped tips
Blooms	Flowers attached to spreading branches, flower cluster oblong to pyramid shaped
Fruit	Caryopsis

Bluegrass, Kentucky

Latin Name: Poa pratensis
Introduced Species

Habitat	Moist Meadows and Woodlands, shores of rivers and lakes, wetlands
Stems	Up to 150cm tall, often purple at base, 3-6 nodes per stem
Leaves	Blades up to 20cm long, hairless, boat-shaped tips
Blooms	Flowers attached to spreading branches, flower cluster open with greenish-purple spikelets
Fruit	Caryopsis

Bluejoint, marsh reedgrass

Latin Name: Calamagrostis canadensis

Habitat	Moist forests and marshes
Stems	Up to 120cm tall, forming clumps, creeping rhizome, nodes purplish-blue
Leaves	Blades up to 30cm long, numerous, drooping
Blooms	Panicle, may be open or compact, nodding, purplish blooms
Fruit	Caryopsis

Brome, smooth

Latin Name: Bromus inermis
Introduced Species

Habitat	Roadsides, pastures, and meadows
Stems	Up to 150cmtall, hairless, erect, creeping rhizome
Leaves	Blades up to 40cm long, flat
Blooms	Open nodding panicle, spikelets purplish brown
Fruit	Caryopsis

Canarygrass, reed

Latin Name: Phalaris arundinacea

Habitat	Riverbanks and lakeshores
Stems	Up to 200cm tall, hairless, dark scaly rhizome
Leaves	Blades up to 30cm long, flat
Blooms	Narrow dense panicle, pale green spikelets with purplish tinge, 3-flowered
Fruit	Caryopsis

Rice-grass, white-grained mountain

Latin Name: Oryzopsis asperifolia

Habitat	Open forests
Stems	Up to 70cm tall, erect to spreading
Leaves	Lower blades up to 40cm long, rough, flat or rolled, upper blades up to 5cm long
Blooms	Narrow panicle, 1-flowered spikelets
Fruit	Caryopsis

Sedge, bristle-leaved

Latin Name: Carex eburnea

Habitat	Cliffs, ledges, woodlands
Stems	Forming tufts
Leaves	Thin, wiry
Blooms	3-10 perigynia per spike, turn grom green to glossy dark brown
Fruit	Tiny, jet black seeds in fall

Sedge, Dewey's

Latin Name: Carex deweyana

Habitat	Forests and forest edges
Stems	Value
Leaves	Value
Blooms	Upper spike with staminate and carpellate flowers, with staminate flowers below
Fruit	Value

Sedge, Peck's

Latin Name: Carex peckii

Habitat	Rocky slopes and forests
Stems	Value
Leaves	Value
Blooms	Uppermost spike with only staminate flowers, perigyium hairy
Fruit	Value

Rush, baltic

Latin Name: Juncus balticus

Habitat	Wetlands, wet meadows, ditches, forming colonies
Stems	Dark green round stems up to 60cm tall, often forming a fence like line, long creeping rhizome
Leaves	Tuft of brown basal sheaths
Blooms	Purplish brown, in head like cyme, 3 sepals, petals, 3-6 yellow stamens, 1 pistil, pink style
Fruit	Capsule

Ferns

Fern, common oak

Fern, spinulose wood

TREES | SHRUBS | FORBS | GRAMINOIDS | FERNS

Fern, common oak

Latin Name: Gymnocarpium dryopteris

Habitat	Moist woods, ledges, and rocky slopes
Stems	Short creeping black rhizome
Leaves	Triangular shaped hairless fronds, scalarly compound into threes and twos
Blooms	Value
Fruit	Small round sori borne on underside of veins

Fern, spinulose wood

Latin Name: Dryopteris carthusiana

Habitat	Forests, shores of rivers and lakes
Stems	Up to 90cm tall, grow in clumps, brown scaly rhizomes
Leaves	Feathery fronds with brown scaly stalks, scalarly compound into threes and twos
Blooms	Value
Fruit	Veins lined with spore containing sori, covered with kidney shaped flap

Photo Credits
Patsy Cotterill
Gail Fennell
David Fielder
Manna Parseyan
Jason Teare
Ivar Leidus
Alberto Salguero
File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske)
Brundage, Stephanie
John B. (Dendroica cerulea)
Joe Papp
Brundage, Stephanie
SriMesh
kallerna
Peter Dziuk
BlueCanoe
Varina Crisfield
Rasbak
Cressler, Alan
Walter Siegmund
Jörg Hempel
Ivar Leidus
k.chayka
Arx Fortis
Lytle, Melody
By Matt Lavin
Christian Fischer
Franz Xaver
Robert Dorn
Jane Dorn
Wasp32

Sources:
Plants of Alberta by France Royer and Richard Dickinson (c) 2007 by Lone Pine Publishing
Edible & Medicinal Plants of Canada by Mackinnon, Kershaw, Arnason, Owen, Karst, Hamersley Chambers (c) 2014 by Parnters Publishing and Lone Pine Publishing
Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada by Nancy J. Turner, Adam F. Szeczawinkski (c) 1988 by Fitzhenry and Whiteside
https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/alnus/incana/
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ALIN2
https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/trees.htm
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250094914 (accessed 26 April 2021)