How to Use This Site

Unless otherwise noted, the following sections for each species will assist you in identifying the species of interest, discovering what ecoregions and plant communities they are found in, and mentioning additional information such as forage value, medicinal or toxic properties, and reclamation services.

Identification: Dividing Vegetation Types into Respective Pages

​Three primary vegetation types exist which I separated into their respective pages:

• Grasses & Grass-likes
• Forbs
• Trees & Shrubs

​Their species are organized in three ways:

1.  Major groups (i.e. Dicots or Monocots for forbs and grasses, or Angiospermae or Gymnospermae in trees and shrubs), which group taxonomic families into how their respective species germinate and what kind of fruits they produce. For instance, “dicots” (dicotyledons) have two seed leaves per seed, and “monocots” (monocotyledons) has only one leaf per seed. Angiosperms produce flowers and fruit, whereas Gymnosperms produce naked seeds in cones.  
2. Taxonomic family name (i.e. Asteraceae or Aster Family) or Taxonomic tribe name (i.e., Triticeae or Wheatgrass tribe), the latter being reserved only for grasses & grass-likes (all grasses fall under the Family Poaceae).
3. Flower colour, which is exclusive to and a major feature of identifying forbs. It is difficult to use this with grasses, grass-likes, and trees because the flower colour is consistently green or brown. There also are too few species of flowering shrubs in Western Canada to justify dividing them into flower colour versus taxonomic family names.

Each page has various galleries of photographs to pour through. As you hover your mouse over each photo (or tap a photo on your mobile device), you will notice that each photograph is captioned with common and scientific names.

**Clicking or tapping on the nameplate beneath each photo will bring you to another page containing information about that selected species.

For each of the vegetation-type pages, morphological characteristic drawings are provided to help you see the different features commonly used to identify a species. The drawings are all by my own hand (no tracing involved) and derived from Budd’s Flora book (see Resources). ​

**If you see an asterisk (*) on the nameplate below a captioned photo, this means I am working on that respective information page, which is currently inaccessible. Thus, nothing will happen if you tap or click on the nameplate. I highly recommend checking back regularly, as new species and information are regularly added!

Species Information Pages

Digital photography is a highly practical tool I like to use to help identify plants. Illustrating the various key features of a species is the fundamental aspect of this site. Unless otherwise noted, all of the photographs used on this site are mine.

Each species has a page that is laid out as follows:

Photo Gallery

All photos are mine, snapped while out in the field doing botany work. None are taken from a search engine or another person’s photo account.

Each gallery is divided into the following plant parts: the whole plant, flowering parts, leaves (and stems), and plants in the vegetative stage and in the fully mature or seed-setting stage.

Captions include the date and location each photo was taken, as well as a noteworthy tidbit.

Origin & Status

Is this species native or non-native to North America? If it is non-native, where did it come from and is it considered a nuisance weed? Certain species are considered invasive, noxious, or prohibited-noxious weeds under municipal bylaws or provincial weed councils (such as the Alberta Invasive Species Council). Other non-native species, while still considered invasive, are regarded as “naturalized” in native habitats. Native species are also considered invasive weeds in certain contexts, which are discussed in the Interesting Notes section below.

Is this species’ status common, rare, threatened, or endangered? Confirmation of such status is according to the Alberta Species at Risk Program through the provincial government, the Multiple Species at Risk (MULTISAR) Program, and Canada’s Species at Risk Act. 

Dichotomy-like Description

After much consideration, I’ve decided to go on the route of a “dichotomy-like” description (it’s not a true dichotomous key by any means), which divides up each plant part into different sections. Each section contains certain questions that must be answered to properly identify a species. I have organized the pseudo-dichotomy description to accommodate different plant types, as there are specific questions to ask when identifying trees, shrubs, forbs, and grasses/grass-like plants. However, they all have the following sections in common:

• Overall Height – height of the plant from top to ground level
• Growth Habit – whether the plant is erect, creeping, bunched, climbing, etc.
• Stem Characteristics – asks what shape the stem is if cross-cut; is it hollow or pithy; is it borne singly or in multiples from a crown, and what colour of sap comes from it. With trees, we ask what the bark looks like in terms of colour and texture.
• Inflorescence Type – describes the type of flower bunches a species is noted for, its general measured length, and how many flowers are per node (especially with grasses and grass-like plants).
• Flower Colour – what colour[s] does the flower come in?
• Flower Size – size comparison from tiny to the size of a grapefruit. For grasses and grass-like species, catkin- and cone-bearing species, we ask for the size of the cone or spikelets and measurements of other flower parts.
• Flower Composition – overall, what does the flower look like? Is it a regularly symmetrical flower or an irregular one, like an orchid or a member of the Fabaceae family? We look at how many petals there are, the shape of different flower parts, which part is longer or bigger than the other, and if hairs are present. For grasses and grass-like plants, we ask about glumes, lemmas, florets, and whether awns are present. (Will update this section when I figure out how to do a pseudo-dichotomy for Salix species and cone-bearing trees and shrubs!)
• Leaf Shape & Type – what shape are the leaves, and are they in simple forms on the main stem, or are they divided into leaves containing leaflets or deeply divided leaves? In grasses we look at the sheath and collar region, seeing whether auricles and ligules are present, what they look like, as well as what the leaf tips look like and whether the leaves are wide, thin, lax or stiff. Conifers have their own little section asking whether their leaves come as needles, bunches, or scales.
• Leaf Arrangement on the Stem  – here we ask about whether leaves are arranged opposite or alternate on the stem, or if they are whorled or form a rosette at the base. We also check whether our plant has stipules or axial leaves at the base or top of the main leaf axil.
• Rooting Type – we look at the roots’ appearance, whether they are fibrous or form a taproot.
• Fruits & Seeds – seeds come in different-shaped pods and fruit, so here we see what types they come in.

(If you find something missing or if you feel I got something wrong, please contact me!)

Where to Find this Species

Here, we answer the question of which ecoregions, habitats, and plant communities this species is expected to occur in.

Trees, shrubs, grasses, and grass-like species are often classified into one or two (or more) plant communities. Most of these species become dominant in that community compared with others found at the same location. For example, an Elymus–Koelaria plant community consists of Western Wheatgrass (Elymus smithii) and Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), which are the most abundant species compared with others, such as Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea) and Prairie Sagewort (Artemisia frigida), to name a few. In the mixed boreal forests of Alberta, the Picea-Populus community consists of White Spruce (Picea glauca) and Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) as the dominant species. Other trees, shrubs and forbs such as White Birch (Betula papyrifera), Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia), and Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), also reside in this community, but not as dominantly.

Forbs, on the other hand, are a different ball of wax. Many are found in more than one plant community, habitat, and ecoregion. Many, still, are only found in one. Thus, for those forbs found in more than one plant community, I found it easier to just keep them to their general habitat, such as open grassland, forest, or riparian areas. But, most importantly, most forbs (with exceptions) rarely stand as the dominant species of the landscape. (If they are dominant, likely the reason is that we encouraged them to be that way, either on purpose, like with cultivated forage stands containing Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), or they’re noxious weeds that are out of control, like with Scentless Chamomile (Tripleurospermum inodorum) or the dreaded Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense).) Instead, native forbs (and some non-native forbs, provided they are kept under control) provide important ecological goods and services to the landscape. They are excellent food for pollinators and herbivores, successional species that help restore a previously disturbed habitat to its “climax” state, and are usually nice to look at and to snap photos of when we spot them.

When to Find Blooms/Inflorescences

Each species has its favoured time of year when it is at its full glory of blooms. Here we briefly see when (ONLY here in Western Canada) you are most likely to find blooms, namely, what months and part of the growing season. 

Is This Species Poisonous or Edible?

While I strongly discourage people from picking and removing plants from their habitat (a huge exception is with non-native “weeds”, since it’s a great excuse to remove them from the landscape by using them for medicinal or edible reasons), I still feel obligated to share at least some information on whether a species is edible or, most crucially, poisonous/toxic. However, I will not share historical medicinal uses of native plants, for two big reasons:

1. To discourage people from picking an excessive number of these plants, in case they are rare and are fighting to regain their population due to past disturbances to their habitat or in case excessive picking will drive them to become a rare find; and
2. To avoid the risk of spreading false or misleading information that could be harmful. Some sources are not reliable in providing original, accurate information about First Nations’ historical use of certain plants, so I want to be respectful of that. Rather than spreading potentially fabricated facts and stories, it’s best not to give them any credence at all.

That said, if a plant is toxic or poisonous, here you will find information on which properties and plant parts are toxic, what the toxicity symptoms look like (humans, animals, or both), and other important details you need to know. The information provided here won’t be just for people and pets, but also for livestock. 

If a plant is well known for being edible, I will disclose which parts are edible, but with the aforementioned caution. Remember: don’t take everything! Leave enough for the other wild inhabitants to enjoy, too!

Synonyms & Other Names

Almost all species have more than one scientific (Latin or Greek) name, depending on how they were previously arranged taxonomically by those responsible for naming and classifying species (such as the International Code of Nomenclature (ICN) for algae, fungi, and plants). This list could be large or small, depending on how many revisions the scientific name underwent.

Species are also known by numerous common names, which are listed here. I stick with English versions rather than other languages, just to keep things simple.

What Other Species can this be Confused With?

There is always potential for a person to confuse one species with another. I identify which other species a person might confuse this plant with, then provide features to watch for to help distinguish it from those species.

Interesting Notes

Everything else falls in this section. Here, I expound on a species’ value to livestock and wildlife as a food source or forage species, what species of pollinators may visit this plant, how and why certain names have been chosen for this plant, the reasons it may be considered a noxious weed (if applicable), if it’s used in reclamation, and any other interesting facts that I find worth sharing!

Links for More Information

I’ve included links to other websites and webpages for you to find more information on this species yourself. These other sources may include plant descriptions, additional photographs, further information on where to find this plant, such as interpretive maps and other habitats where it is found, and more. Further recommendations are found on the Resources page.