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Flora
Indian Paint Brush
-Are edible (Have been eaten before)
-Also known as praise fire
-There are around 200 species of the indian paint brush
-Grows in deserts, prairies, and woodlands
Alberta Rose
-Bloom in late May and last till around August
-Can be found anywhere in Alberta
-Grows up to 1.5 metres tall
-Attracts bees
-Make perfume out of the flowers
Arnica
-Remedy used for bruises, sprains and sore muscles
-Bright yellow flower
-Grows 1-2 feet tall
-Used when fresh and dried
Wild Sunflower
-Used for oil, bird seed and even edible fruit
-Scientific name helianthus annuus
-Wild sunflower seeds are very small
Harebell
-Got its name from its shape
-Also known as witches thimble
-Measures 15-50 centimetres in height
Daisy
-Are edible
-The daisie closes at night to protect the inside of the flower
-Grow 2-3 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide
-Need well drained soil and love full sun
Yarrow
-Use to make tea
-Have feathery leaves
-Used to heal wounds
-Grows 2-3 feet tall
Smooth Blue Aster
-Has rough leaves
-The stem usually takes on a shade of blue from the flower
-Non aggressive roots
-Blooms August,September and October
Buckwheat
-Also known as saracen corn
-Does not belong to the family of grasses
-Requires cold environment to grow successfully
-Source of fibres,protiens,vitamins such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus
Purslane
-Can bloom all year round
-The thick leaves have a salty and sour lemony flavour
-Has a smooth reddish prostate stem that can reach 14 inches in length
-Flowers open early in the morning and stay open for a few hours
Stonecrop
-Come in a wide range of shapes and sizes
-Often change colour throughout there bloom time
-Enjoy full sun
-Well known perennials
Saxifrage
-All flowers open at once and last around ten days
-Bloom somewhere from june-august
-Flowers are a rich source of vitamin c and have a sweet taste
St.Johns Wart
-Native to europe
-Produces yellow or orange flowers
-Lives more than 2 years in the wild
Poppy
-Poppys grew around the grave stones of lost soldiers
-Not all poppies are red they also come in yellow orange pink and other colours
-Poppies are considered a symbol of sleep and death
Geranium
-Name is greek
-Geraniums are eaten by larvae
-Come in white pink purple and blue
Buttercup
-Large genus of flowering plant
-Grows wild in many places
-Poisonous to eat unless dried than the poison is not activated
Fumitory
-Grows in fields most commonly
-Has grey green leaves
-Flowers appear from april to october
Waterleaf
-Has maple like leaves
-Used for salad
-Leaves are bright neon green
Trees
Larch
-20 to 40 metres tall
-Coniferous
-Scientific name is larix
-10 to 12 species of Larch
Cotton Wood
-Type of poplar
-Like to use the bark to carve
-Live to be about 110 years old
Birch
-Thin leaved tree
-Deciduous
-Some types can have flowers
-Some can grow up to 80 metres tall
Elm
-Deciduous and semi Deciduous trees
-Scientific name is Ulmus
-Its inner bark is used to make medicine
-Fairly quick growing
-Needs full sun to stay healthy
Lilacs
-Come in white, violet,blue,lavender,pink,magenta and purple
-Only flower for about 3 weeks in the spring
-More than 1000 varieties of lilac bushes and trees
Cypress
-Have woody growth on the wood
Flowers
Violet
-Leaves are green and heart shaped
-Young leaves and flowers are edible
-Can be annual or perennial depending on the type
-Used in the perfume industries
Bladderwort
-Carnivorous plant
-Have lip shaped flowers
-Blooms from July to August
Figwort
-Has horizontal roots
-Develops ovate or lanceolate shaped leaves
-Blooms from June to August
Dogwood
-Can grow to be a bush or small tree
-Produces green leaves with wavy edges
-Used to make jam and wine
Heather
-Has small scaley leaves
-Blooms from July to November
-Starts producing flowers 3 to 4 years after planting
Loosestrife
-Produces many stems
-Has woody strong taproot
-Blooms July to September
Primrose
-Has a very hairy stem
-Flowers and leaves are edible and often used in salads
-Perennial plant
Phlox
-Annual plant
-Act like a ground cover
-70 different species
Gentian
-Bloom July to August
-Attracts bees flies and butterflies
-Used to make wine
Buckbean
-Also known as dog bean
-Inhabits wet soils
-Has white or pink flowers
Borage
-Has hollow hairy stems
-Dark green oval leaves
-Flowers are edible and have a sweet honey like taste
Mint
-Flowers can be white or pink in colour
-Rich source of vitamins A C and B2
-Used in traditional medicines
Valerian
-Have hollow stalks
-Best known for healing properties
-Can survive around 2 years in the wild (it is perennial)
Mares tail
-Leaves are alternating
-Can be submerged under water
-Seeds are white
Evening primrose
-Produces bowl shaped flowers
-Can produce 150 thousand seeds per second
-Can be used in a human diet
-Loose there light feathery needles in autumn
-Grow to be about 15 feet
Pine
-Have thick and scaley bark
-Produce via cones
-Contain male and female sex organs in the tree
Ferns & Allies
Wood Fern
-Grows from 1-3 feet
-Leaflets are lobed and tothed
Horsetail
-Closely related to ferns
-Over 20 species
Clubmoss
-In the most ancient group of plants/mosses
-Structurally similar to vascular plants
Spikemoss
-Have scalelike leaves
-Clustered in spiky leaves
Polypody
-Grow in the shape of feet
-Also known rock cap fern
Maidenhair Fern
-Also known as living fossil
-Over 350 million years old
Spleenwort
-Grows in tufts on rocks
-Ideal for gardens
Adders tongue
-25-30 species
-Name is greek and means snake tongue
Wild flowers and plants in Banff
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