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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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. |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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. |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |