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Plants that
grow on bogs and fens. |
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Leatherleaf;
low evergreen shrub.
Flower: White,
urn-shaped; 5 lobes; hang from axils; occur along spreading branches;
May to early June.
Fruit: Rounded
capsule, brownish. < 6 mm diameter.
Leaves: Leaves:
Alternate; simple, evergreen; oval to oblong, short-pointed or
rounded tip; 1 - 5 cm long, up to 1.5 cm wide; leathery; No brown
hairs on underside; leathery; green to brownish on top.
Habitat: Wet area,
such as along edges of lakes, ditches, fens, and peat bogs.
Height: up to 1 m.
Interest: This is
one of the earliest shrubs to flower in spring. It is also one of the
early shrubs to colonize a bog.
Location: Trout
Lake Road
Date: May 6, 2006
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Marsh
Blue Violet; perennial.
Family: Violet (Violaceae)
Flower: Purple
with a dark throat or ring around the white base or throat; have
hairs on the sides of the petals; not fragrant; late May to July.
Leaves: Leaves are
alternate, basal, pale green, heart-shaped and up to 6 cm wide in
ideal conditions.
Stem: Leaves basal
and flowers on separate stems. Flower stem is taller than the plant leaves.
Height: Up to 15 cm.
Habitat: Wet
places, open woods, wet meadows, springs, bogs, swamps.
Interest: The
flowers are hermaphrodite, meaning they have both male and female
organs, are pollinated by Insects or may be self-pollinated without
flowers ever opening.
Location: Trout
Lake Road
Date: June 2, 2007
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Bog
rosemary
Low, erect or
trailing evergreen shrub.
Flower: Pink; 5-6
mm wide; shaped like an urn; nodding and drooping clusters at stem
tips; May - early June.
Leaves: Alternate;
simple, evergreen, leathery, stiff, linear, 2-5 cm long with edges
rolled under; light coloured and hairy on the underside; young leaves
are bluish-green in colour..
Height: Up to 60 cm.
Fruit: Rounded,
less than 6 mm in diameter; depression at tip; mid- to late-summer.
Habitat: Bogs,
fens, and spruce - tamarack swamps.
Interest: Bog
rosemary is a circumboreal species. All parts of Bog rosemary contain
a poison that can cause death in humans.
Location: Burwash bog
Date: July 31, 2001
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Bog rosemary flower.
Location: Trout
Lake bog by road crossing over the railroad track.
Date: May 27, 2006
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Labrador
Tea
Erect, evergreen
shrub. Member of the Heath Family.
Flower: White,
clusters 1 cm wide; 5 petals; each petal less than 5 mm long;
unscented; May-June.
Leaves: Alternate,
narrow, blunt-tipped, leathery; top surface wrinkled and green;
bottom surface covered with brown woolly hairs; margins rolled under;
when bruised the leaves emit an agreeable odor.
Stem: Branches
covered by brown hairs; older stems are smooth, hairless, reddish in colour.
Height: Low
spreading; 1 m.
Habitat: Acidic
margins of bogs and black spruce forests.
Interest: Related
to rhododendrons and azaleas. The leaves are sometimes used to make a
tea. Like several plants that live in acid bogs, Labrador Tea
coexists with soil fungi (mycorrhizal association) that spread
through soil to pull in nutrients and change nutrients to form used
by plant. The fungi may penetrate plant root. In return, the
fungi receive sugars and other products from the plant.
Location: Trout
Lake road bog
Date: June 22, 2002
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Labrador tea
flower bud.
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Labrador tea flowers.
Location: Trout
Lake bog
Date: June 22, 2002.
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Bog
laurel (Kalmia polifolia)
Flower: Pink,
saucer-shaped; 5 lodes, 10-15 mm across; on stalks in terminal
clusters; May - June.
Leaves: Opposite,
simple, oval or lance-shaped, blunt, 1-4 cm long, 5-12 mm wide,
leathery, dark green shiny upper surface, underside whitish;
toothless; slightly rolled under.
Stem: Few branches.
Height: < 1 m.
Other: Evergreen
shrub. Bog laurel is considered potentially
toxic through its entire range in Canada.
Location: Trout
Lake road bog
Date: May 27, 2006
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Bog laurel leaves
after flowering. The green, waxy appearance is distinctive when
compared to Labrador Tea or Leatherleaf, two common associated plants.
Location: Sudbury
Date: July 25, 2001
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Sheep
Laurel, also known as lamb-kill; evergreen shrub; member of Heath
family with evergreen foliage.
Flower: Deep pink
to crimson, saucer-shaped; 5 lodes; 0.5 - 1 cm wide; on stalks from
leaf axils of last year's growth; June-July.
Leaves: Opposite
or in whorls of 3; simple, oval to elliptical, pointed tip, 1.5-5 cm
long, 5-20 mm wide; firm, green upper surface, lighter underside; no
hair on underside of leaf; toothless; slightly rolled under.
Stem: Branchlets
brownish, round.
Height: 60-100 cm tall.
Habitat: Forest
edge in more open and moist meadow.
Interest: Considered
poisonous
to sheep, cattle, and goats; hence the name sheep-laurel or lamb-kill
- do not eat. The nectar contains the toxin that results in
toxic honey.
Location: Burwash
Date: June 30, 2003
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Sheep laurel
covered with profusion of flowers.
Location: Burwash
Date: July 4, 2009.
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Sheep laurel
flower stalk.
Location: Trout
Lake road bog
Date: July 4, 2008
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Tussock
Cottongrass; also known as Sheathed Cottonsedge, Cottonsedge,
Cottongrass, Hare's Tail, Hare's-tail Grass, Hare's-tail Cottongrass,
Hare’s-tail Rush, Single-headed Cottongrass; native perennial sedge.
Flower: Tiny
flowers are nestled within tufts of white silky hairs at top of
stalk; clusters about 2 cm wide; June-September. See
following photo.
Leaves: About 4 mm
wide; flat; grass-like; dies back during winter.
Stem: Triangular
towards top, round below.
Height: 45-120 cm.
Habitat: Tundra
bogs, muskegs, and pockets of boreal forest.
Other: Tussock
communities are stable for many decades. The cottony heads were
collected in parts of Scotland and used for wound dressings during
the First World War.
Location: Trout
Lake Road bog, Estaire
Date: June 9, 2002
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Tussock cotton
grass flower close up.
Location: Trout
Lake Road
Date: June 9, 2002.
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Tussock cotton
grass cluster in a bog.
Location: Trout
Lake Road
Date: June 9, 2002.
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Hudson
Bay Clubrush; perennial sedge
Flower: Single
terminal cotton-like spikelet; tufts about 5-7 mm long tipped with
white, silky hairs.
Leaves: Stiff,
5-12 mm long; most leaves are bladeless sheaths near base of stem.
Stem: Flowering
stems that are triangular; stiff.
Height: Less than
40 cm tall.
Habitat: In fens
and wet ditches.
Location: Highway
627, 25 km south of the intersection with Highway 101.
Dly July 1, 2012.
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Dense cottongrass tussock.
Location: Highway
144, 25 km south of the intersection with Highway 101.
Date: June 27, 2003.
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Carpet of dense cottongrass.
Location: Timmins
Date: June 13, 2001.
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Tawny
cottongrass
Flower: In a tuft
at or near the end of stems; the long slender bristles resemble a
cottonball of tawny white to copper-color; May - August
Leaves: Narrow,
linear, flat, rough margins, 5 mm wide or less.
Stem: Erect,
triangular in cross-section, smooth, slender; flowering stems.
Height: Up to 1.5 m.
Habitat: Peat
soils and poorly drained areas; common in cranberry bogs.
Other: Perennial
sedge; grows singly or in clumps of few from a rootstock.
Location: Bog east
of Highway 69, along railroad, north of Estaire.
Date: August 3, 2001.
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Green
Cottongrass; Perennial sedge.
Flower: Single
cotton-like inflorescence (flower) at the top of a spike; 3-30
cotton-like forms at the end of a stem; the cotton tuffs are located
on the end of a slender stalk; mid-summer.
Leaves: Flat and
mostly at the base of the stem.
Stem: Erect,
triangular in cross-section, slender; flowering stems.
Height: Up to 90
cm tall.
Habitat: Fens and
open conifer swamps.
Other:
Clump-forming sedge that spreads from rhizomes.
Location: Timmins.
Date: June 10, 2005
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Cluster of Green Cottongrass.
Location: Timmins.
Date: June 10, 2005 |
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Pitcher
plant; also known as Soldier's Drinking Cup; Side-Saddle Flower.
Family:
Pitcher-plant (Sarraceniaceae)
Flower: Purple or
maroon; 5-7 cm wide; 5 large sepals and 5 curved petals; nodding on
3-50 cm stalks; June-July.
Leaves: Basal
rosettes, 10-20 cm tall, picture-shaped, hollow; reddish-green
colour; hood over opening; downward-pointing hairs on inside;
contains water.
Height: up to 50 cm.
Habitat: Bogs,
fens, and open swamps.
Interest:
Perennial herb that traps insects in the leaf tubes. The insects are
attracted to the leaves by the reddish colour and the musty small.
The insects enter the tube and become trapped because the hairs that
line the inside point downward. The plant digests the insects.
In 1954, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador designated the
Pitcher plant as the official flower of the province.
Location: Trout
Lake road bog
Date: June 4, 2006
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Close up of
Pitcher plant leaves.
Location: Trout
Lake bog.
Date: September
19, 2004.
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Close up of
Pitcher plant leaf tubes (left) and old flower head with 5 reddish
sepals surrounding the seed pod (right).
Location: Trout
Lake bog.
Date: September
19, 2004.
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Spatula-leaf
Sundew or Spoon-leaved Sundew
Flower: White or
rarely pink; 1-sided clusters; 5 sepals, 5 petals, 4-6 mm long; June-July.
Leaves: Basal
rosette up to 10 cm wide; covered with reddish, sticky hairs, spoon-shaped.
Height: Close to
the ground.
Habitat: Bogs,
fens, and swamps, and along lakeshores.
Interest:
Perennial herb that traps insects using a sticky liquid. The liquid
contains a digestive enzyme that helps the plant extract the
nutrients from the insect. The genus name Drosera means
"dew", referring to the sticky droplets on the leaves.
Location:
Killarney Lighthouse area.
Date: August 10, 2003.
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Close up of
Spoon-leaved sundew leaves.
Location:
Killarney Lighthouse area.
Date: August 10, 2003.
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Round-leaved
Sundew
Flower: White or
rarely pink; 1-sided clusters; 5 sepals, 5 petals, 4-6 mm long; June-July.
Leaves: Basal
rosette up to 10 cm wide; covered with reddish, sticky hairs, round
in shape.
Height: Close to
the ground.
Habitat: Bogs,
fens, and swamps, and along lakeshores.
Interest:
Perennial herb that traps insects using a sticky liquid. The liquid
contains a digestive enzyme that helps the plant extract the
nutrients from the insect. The genus name Drosera means
"dew", referring to the sticky droplets on the leaves.
Location:
Killarney Lighthouse area.
Date: July 1, 2004.
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Large
cranberry
Flower: White or
pinkish; resembles a shooting-star; 4 petals curved backwards; 8-10
mm wide; nodding; solitary or in clusters of 2 to 6; July-August.
Leaves: Alternate;
simple, oblong to elliptical, blunt to rounded tip; 5-15 mm long, 2-5
mm wide; margins rolled under.
Stem: Trailing,
elongated, much-branched stem up to 1 m in length; branches into
upright branchlets that are up to 20 cm tall;; bark on older stems
peels to a papery outer layer.
Height: Creeping
with upward branchlets 20 cm tall.
Fruit: Red,
rounded, 1-2 cm in diameter; August-September.
Habitat: Wet
organic swamps and sphagnum bogs.
Interest: The
berries are used to make jellies, preserves, and sauce.
Location:
Killarney, Lighthouse area
Date: July 10, 2005
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Large cranberry fruit.
Location:
Kasabonika Lake First Nation
Date: August 21, 2001
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Large cranberry fruit.
Location:
Killarney Lighthouse
Date: August 29, 2004
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Creeping
snowberry; evergreen; occurs in mats in sphagnum bogs, conifer
stands and on decaying logs.
Flower: White,
bell-shaped with 4 lobes; 2-3 mm long; early summer.
Leaves: Alternate;
very short stalks; round to egg-shaped; pointed tip; dark green upper
surface; paler underside.
Fruit: Rounded
white berry; 5 - 7 mm in diameter; July - August.
Stem: Creeping
prostrate and trailing or creeping; 20 to 40 cm long.
Height: Stems up
to 40 cm long.
Habitat: All damp
habitats except rich hardwood stands. Common in black spruce forests.
Location: Burwash
Date: August 10, 2002.
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Common
Wood Sorrel; native perennial; also known as Single Delight,
One-flowered Pyrola, and Wood Nymph.
Flower: White or
pink, both with pink veins; 5 petals; 2 cm wide; notched; on long
stalks; June - July.
Leaves: Basal
leaves are shaped like a shamrock; they are divided into 3 leaflets
that are shaped like hearts or clover leaves; each leaflet is about 1
- 3 cm wide; leaves are reported to have a sour taste; the 3 leaflets
close up at night.
Stem: Leaves at
base of stem in a whorl of 1-3 leaves.
Height: Up to 15
cm; plants in the Sudbury appear to be smaller and are close to the ground.
Habitat: Prefers
cool, mixed or coniferous forest floors that are moist and organic
rich, edges of bogs, fens, conifer swamp and in moist mixed forests.
Other: The name
The word "sorrel" comes from the French sur,
meaning "sour".
Language of
Flowers: Means "joy". Source
Location: Paddy
Creek road
Date: June 22, 2008
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Common wood-sorrel flower
Location: Paddy
Creek trail
Date: July 13, 2003
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Yellow-eyed
grass; native perennial; also known as Bog Yellow-eyed Grass and
Northern Yellow-eyed Grass
Flower: Yellow;
1.3 cm wide; 3 petals; 6 stamens; cone-shaped, reddish-brown
scale-like bracts enclose flowers; July - September.
Leaves: Iris-like;
basal; up to 80 cm long and up to 1 cm wide.
Stem: Upright,
smooth, may be 3-ribbed; no leaves but has a solitary, terminal
flower head.
Height: 15-60 cm tall.
Habitat: Wet areas
such as edges of bogs, wet peat areas, wet sand.
Location:
Killarney Provincial Park, Cranberry bog
Date: August 16, 2002
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Horned
Bladderwort; native annual or perennial; also known as Leafless Bladderwort.
Family:
Bladderwort (Lentibulariaceae)
Flower: Yellow; 1
to 5 yellowish, 2-lipped flowers near the top of the stalk; 5 petals;
about 2 cm long; lower lip large, helmet-shaped, with a pendant spur; June-September.
Leaves: Very
small, threadlike, occurs below the surface and are seldom seen.
Stem: Brownish
at base and becoming greenish towards the top.
Height: 2-12"
(5-30 cm).
Habitat: Swampy,
wet, sandy, muddy, or peaty shores, throughout grasses in the marl
prairie, and in calcareous bogs and fens.
Interest: Horned
bladderwort differs from other bladderworts because it is terrestrial
rather than aquatic. It is a carnivorous plant and it traps and
digests very small organisms in the bladders on its root system.
The bladders
are small, pear-shaped pouches. The bladders open abruptly when
trigger hairs are disturbed. When the bladder opens, water is
sucked in along with the aquatic insect that touched the trigger
hairs. Digestive enzymes and bacteria in the bladder digest the
insect for the nutritional use of the plant. When digestion is
complete, the plant extracts the nutrient-rich water from the bladder
into the stem and resets the bladder trap.
Location:
Manitoulin Island, Misery Bay
Date: August 2, 2004.
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Mass of Horned Bladderwort.
Location:
Manitoulin Island, Misery Bay
Date: August 2, 2004.
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Horned Bladderwort
growing on wet ground. Note the affect of careless humans. There are
vehicle tracks left behind by an ATV. The vehicle compacted and
distrubed the soil. No horned bladderwort grows in the tracks.
Location: Murphy
Point alvar, Manitoulin Island.
Date: July 11, 2010.
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Rose
Pogonia; native perennial; also known as snake Mouth or Goldcrest.
Family: Orchid (Orchidaceae)
Flower:
Pink; one
or occasionally two at termination of stem; sepals and petals
usually pink, rarely pinkish white; petals elliptical, 1.5-2 cm long
and 5-10 mm wide; prominent lip with spiky beard and a yellow centre; late
June to mid July.
Leaves: One leaf
present halfway up the stem at flowering time.
Stem: Erect,
slender, smooth, green to brownish-green.
Height: 8-30
cm.
Habitat: Open
areas on bogs, boggy shores. Usually in wet sphagnum moss;
drought intolerant.
Interest: The
Greek name refers to a bearded, snake's tongue. It spreads by roots
or stolons; sends up a shoot spaced as close as 5 cm, which accounts
for the large number of plants in one location.
Location: Trout
Lake Road bog
Date: June 17, 2006
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Close-up image of
Rose-pogonia flower head.
Location: Trout
Lake Road bog
Date: June 18, 2006
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Grass-pink;
native perennial.
Family: Orchid (Orchidaceae)
Flower: Pink,
rose-purple, rarely white; lip is uppermost in the flower; central
part of lip is bearded with short cream hairs with orange knobs; lip
is hinged at the base to bend forward when an insect lands on it; June-July.
Leaves: One basal
leaf that is grass-like, 10-30 cm long and 3-16 mm wide.
Stem: Erect
Height: 8-30
cm.
Habitat: Open
areas on bogs, boggy shores. Usually in wet sphagnum moss.
Interest: Grows
from a small tuber. Has a different strategy to transfer pollen
to the back of an insect. The flower is upside-down compared to most
orchids. On top it has its lip on the bottom the column with the
pollina and stigma. The lip is hinged. The flower attracts bees with
yellow yellow "false" stamens on the top of the lip. This
is one of the few native orchids that grows readily from seed under
conditions that do not require symbiotic germination.
Calopogan is
derived from the Greek words kalos "beautiful" and pogon "beard".
Location: Trout
Lake Road bog
Date: June 17, 2006
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Profile of
Grass-pink orchid.
Location: Trout
Lake Road bog
Date: June 17, 2006
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Three-leaved
False Solomon's-seal; native perennial; also known as Three-leaved Solomon's-plume.
Family: Liliaceae (Lily)
Flower: White to
greenish white; long-stalked, unbranched clusters along top of stem;
star-shaped, with 6 petals; early-June to late July.
Leaves: Alternate;
generally three, but rarely may have two to four leaves; 3 - 13 cm
long; oval to oblong-lance-shaped, hairless; the base tapers and
slightly wraps around the stem.
Stem: Erect,
slender, weak.
Height: Up to 20 cm.
Habitat: Bogs,
swamps, fens and moist woods and openings; often with sphagnum moss.
Interest: Has dark
red berries, up to 6 mm wide; ripening in mid-summer. Three-leaved
False Solomon's-seal may be mistaken for Wild Lily of the Valley
(Canada Mayflower), which 4 petals, not 6. The base of the
Canada Mayflower leave is indented and clasps the stem. The base of
Three-leaved False Solomon's Seal tapers and sheathes the stem.
Location: Trout
Lake Road
Date: June 2, 2007
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Detail of flowers
on Three-leaved False Solomon's Seal.
Location: Trout
Lake Road
Date: June 2, 2007
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