About
About & Using This SiteVision & Mission Statement of Project: Plant ID, Alberta
Project: Plant ID, Alberta, is a continuous, life-long project. It is intended to be a photographic information resource on the thousands of species of rangeland plants I have found in Western Canada, predominantly in the province of Alberta.
My mission is to provide a comprehensive information resource for Western Canadians on various native and non-native plants, from noxious weeds to edible plants, of different ecoregions and ecologies found in my travels.
Karin Lindquist
Founder/Author
Karin grew up on a family farm where cattle, the pasture, and surrounding native ecological areas were her favourite places to explore. She is an avid self-taught photographer passionate about plants and rangelands. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Animal Science Major) from the University of Alberta. Part of her studies included range science and plant identification. She previously worked with the University of Alberta’s Rangeland Research Institute in helping graduate students with studies that involved plant ID and range health assessments. Karin worked as a forage-beef specialist extension consultant with Alberta Agriculture & Forestry at the Ag-Info Centre for over four years. She advised farmers and other industry people there on plant identification and forage species management. She currently lives in Central Alberta.
Prairie Crocus (Pulsatilla nuttalliana).
About Project: Plant Identification, Alberta
There are over 2,000 species of vascular plants in Alberta. As of today, I have found and photographed perhaps less than a quarter of that. Fortunately, the more places I visit, the more opportunities I get to photograph species I’ve not seen before. These eventually find their way here.
NOTE: This is not a garden/ornamental plant identification website.
All plants included here are those that may be found in rural, agricultural, or wilderness areas.
However, this site is also not solely exclusive to native Western Canadian species. I have included various non-native species, both prohibited noxious or potentially invasive weeds, such as Scentless Chamomile (Tripleurospermum inodorum), plus important forage species for livestock, like Smooth Bromegrass (Bromus inermis). I find it very important to include such species to raise awareness of their potential threat to the ecological integrity of many natural areas. I also consider it important to highlight those species that are important food and medicinal resources for various animals, from domesticated and wild herbivores (cattle and deer, respectively) to civilized hominid omnivores (humans). Most species included here are considered “commonly found” in one or more ecoregions; few are rare. I include rare species on the occasions that I find them.
A dichotomy key is not included in this site. Various species of many taxonomic families are being added continuously, requiring extra time and effort to ensure the dichotomy key is regularly updated. I suggest finding completed dichotomy keys in the links and books found on the Resources page.
(If I were to recommend an excellent dichotomy key book in the here and now, it would be Vascular Plants of Alberta: An Illustrated Guide (© 2020) by L. Kershaw and L. Allen. It is a highly recommended resource!)
Yellow Lady-slipper Orchid (Cypripedium parviflorum).
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: The Best Way I’ve Organized a Wide Variety of Species!
I have organized three primary vegetation types into their respective pages:
Their species are organized in two ways:
- Taxonomic family name (i.e. Asteraceae or Aster family) or Taxonomic tribe name (i.e., Triticeae or Wheatgrass tribe), reserved only for grasses, and
- Flower colour.
Flower colour is a major feature in identifying forbs and shrubs. However, it is more difficult to use with grasses, grass-likes, and Western Canadian native trees because the flower colour is consistently green or brown. Other features, such as catkin shape or inflorescence type, are used instead.
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!
Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium montanum) with a Hover Fly visitor.
The Species Information Page
Digital photography is a highly practical means I like to use to help to identify plants. It is the fundamental aspect of this site, to illustrate the various key features of a species. All of the photographs used in this site are mine unless otherwise noted.
Each species has a page that is laid out as follows:
Rarity Status
It deems if the species is common, rare, threatened or endangered.
Origin
Examines whether the species is native or non-native, invasive or prohibited noxious. If not native, identify where this species originates from.
Synonyms
Other names by which this species is known are common and scientific.
Identification
Subsections briefly mention the most notable characteristics, taking us from the most prominent aspect of the plant to the smallest detail. For example, we would note growth stature first before zooming in to discuss the shape and structure of the leaves.
Botany terms can be tricky to understand. I take into account the simplification of such terms so that they are easier for you to understand, but only enough so that sufficient detail is still available to effectively distinguish from other species. Italicized or bold font is also utilized to emphasize the key identifying features. A Botanizing Glossary contains the terms used on this site.
Blooming Period
This tells what time of the year the plant is actively flowering or producing pollen.
Similar Species
Since one species can always be confused with another (or other species), a section on similar species will be helpful. These include other species that may be confused with the currently-viewed species. Brief notes are provided on the key features that help you differentiate between two or more mistakenly confused species.
Where to Find This Plant
This section identifies the ecoregion[s], habitat, and plant communities (if applicable) in which this species is usually found.
A single species can be found in a wide variety of plant communities. Trees, shrubs, grasses, and grass-likes can usually easily be classed into a particular plant community—or two!
Forbs, in particular, are noted for their fantastic adaptability to different ecosystems! Therefore, forbs are really difficult to place into a specific plant community. Nor do they usually stand as a dominant species (the exception includes the conditions that favour their tendency to spread like a noxious invasive weed)! Instead, they often serve as indicators for appropriate soil type and moisture conditions that are favourable for that plant’s life cycle, successional phasing, or even mismanagement.
Value to Livestock & Wildlife
The forage value of the selected species refers to whether it is an edible or valuable nutritional source for herbivorous animals–both domesticated livestock and wildlife. Seasonality of use, the type of community it’s found in, and the accessibility or abundance of other species of lesser- or greater-forage value play a role in how frequently this species is chosen. A selected species may not be valued as a forage species as much as a dangerous poisonous plant. Toxic properties, if applicable, are expanded below.
Grazing response is the reaction of a species after it is grazed or browsed. It answers to its ability to recover under continuous set-stock grazing. (The severity of grazing is associated with how often animals return to consume the selected species. “Heavy grazing” is where much of the plant is consumed; “light grazing” is the opposite.)
“Increasers” or “invaders” increase their population by continuously grazing or browsing. “Decreasers” decrease in population in response to continuous grazing.
Remembering that grazing response can vary from one soil type, habitat, and human management type to another is helpful. Generalizations may not hold true for all locations where the species is found. In other words, a species may increase its population in one region or decrease in another. This may occur under differing environmental conditions or human influences.
Suitability/Use for Reclamation
Several species are suited for reclamation purposes for a variety of reasons. They may be because it’s a native species, making it essential for getting a disturbed ecosystem back to as much of a natural status as humanly possible. As a rapid-spreading species, this is necessary for reclamation due to erosion control to the ability of a species to cover and protect the soil surface quickly. It can be used as a part of an effective reclamation project, as a sign of a healthy, functioning ecosystem, or a need for change in land management.
Toxic, Edible, Medicinal and Cultural Uses
This section examines a species’ toxicological (if applicable), edible, or medicinal properties. These will have cultural and health significance to indigenous cultures and other peoples. What a species is used for is included; however, the level of detail depends on how much information I have available. Also, if any relevant and important information must be shared on a species’ poisonous properties, it will definitely be discussed here.
Other Fascinating Notes
Any other information that was not covered in the above sections pertinent to a species is mentioned here.
Gallery
I’ve included a gallery of photos I’ve taken of this species, from the leaves to the flowers/inflorescences. Some photos include captions of interesting notes I’ve noticed of that species.