AN ILLUSTRATED KEY TO THE OF ALBERTA

Compiled and writen by Linda Kershaw & Lorna Allen

April 2019

© Linda J. Kershaw & Lorna Allen This key was compiled using informaton primarily from Moss (1983), Douglas et. al. (1999) and the Flora North America Associaton (2008). follows VASCAN (Brouillet, 2015). The main references are listed at the end of the key. Please let us know if there are ways in which it can be improved. The 2015 S-ranks of rare (S1; S1S2; S2; S2S3; SU, according to ACIMS, 2015) are noted in superscript (S1;S2;SU) afer the species names. For more details go to the ACIMS web site. No exotc species in this are noted as naturalized in AB. PRIMULACEAE Primsose Family [includes Myrsinaceae] Key to Genera 01a all or mainly on the stem; fowers rarely in umbrella-shaped clusters .... 01b Leaves in rosettes or clustered at the 2a tips of short branches near the base; fowers commonly in umbrella-shaped clusters 1a [] ...... 02 02a lobes > twice as long as the tube and bent sharply backwards; projecting from the fower; anthers fused in a cylinder 3a around the style ...... , in part ...... [Dodecatheon] 02b Flower lobes ≤ twice as long as the tube and not bent sharply backwards; stamens included within the fower; anthers not fused ...... 03 03a perennial, forming loose cushions on alpine slopes in Waterton NP; distinctly keeled, hairless or with a few star-shaped and branched hairs; rose-pink...... Douglasia montana S1 03b Plants annual, biennial, or perennial, rarely forming cushions, often widespread; sepals 4b not keeled or weakly keeled in fruit, hairless or 4a with simple hairs; petals variously colored .04 04a white, fading to pink, <7 mm across (if fower >5 mm, plants grayish-hairy); styles minute, all similar ...... 04a Flowers lavender, magenta, pink, purple, rose, violet or some-times white, >7 mm across, plants never grayish-hairy; styles slender, ------similar or varied...... Primula

ANDROSACE Fairy-candelabra 01a Plants perennial, grey soft-hairy, mat-forming, with multiple rosettes of leaves; fowers 5-7 1a mm across; fower stalks shorter than the fowers ...... Androsace chamaejasme 01b Plants annual or biennial, hairless or slightly hairy, with a single rosette of leaves; fowers 2-2.5 mm across; fower stalks longer than the fowers ...... 02 02a Involucral relatively broad, egg- to lance-shaped; fower ≈ calyx; calyx lobes narrowly egg-shaped, ≈ the tube ...... 2a ...... 02b Involucral bracts relatively narrow, lance- shaped to linear; fower slightly longer than the calyx; calyx lobes triangular, shorter than the 2b tube ...... Androsace septentrionalis

3 LYSIMACHIA Loosestrife 01a Leaves clustered near the stem tip with a few 1a 1b much smaller leaves on the lower stem ...02 01b Leaves fairly evenly distributed along the stem, all similar ...... 03 02a Flower stalks usually shorter than the leaves; lower leaves abruptly smaller, often scale-like; upper leaves widest at/below mid-, slender pointed ...... [Trientalis latifolia; ...... Trientalis borealis ssp. latifolia] 2a 2b 02b Flower stalks usually longer than the leaves; lower leaves more gradually reduced, larger; upper leaves widest above mid-leaf, broadly pointed to blunt tipped ...... [Trientalis europaea] 03a Plants succulent; leaves paired (upper ones sometimes alternate), stalkless, (2)6-12(26) mm long; fowers white to purplish or pink, 4-5 mm across, clustered in leaf axils; petals absent; sepals -like ...... 3a ... [Glaux maritima] 03b Plants and fowers not as above; petals present ...... 04 04a Plants annual; capsules open by shedding a cap-like tip; plants low, sprawling; leaves alternate; fowers inconspicuous, white to pink ...... S2S3 [ minima; Centunculus minimus] 04b Plants perennial; capsules splitting open lengthwise; plants erect; leaves mostly paired 4a or whorled; fowers showy, yellow ...... 05 05a Flowers ≤6 mm across, in long-stalked, spike- like clusters from leaf axils; petals and sepals 5a 5-9; flaments ≈ twice as long as the petals; leaves dotted with glands ...... Lysimachia thyrsifora 05b Flowers 15-25 mm across, each on a long stalk from a leaf axil; petals and sepals 5; flaments shorter than the petals; leaves not dotted with glands ...... 06 06a Leaf blades broadly lance-shaped to almost egg-shaped, 15-65 mm wide; lower leaf stalks 6-10 mm long, edged with hairs [cilia] for their 6a entire length; spreading rootstocks [rhizomes] present ...... ...... [Steironema ciliatum] 06b Leaf blades narrowly elliptic to narrowly lance- shaped, 2-30 mm wide; lower leaf stalks 10-30 6b mm long, hairless or edged with hairs near the base only; spreading rootstocks absent ...... ...... [Lysimachia lanceolata; ...... Steironema lanceolatum]

4 PRIMULA Primrose; Shootingstar 01a Flower lobes bent sharply backwards, > twice 1a 1b as long as the tube; stamens projecting from the fower; anthers fused in a cylinder around the style ...... 02 2a 01b Flower lobes spreading widely, not bent sharply backwards, ≤ twice as long as the tube; stamens included within the fower; anthers not fused ...... 03 2b 02a Leaves glandular hairy; area between the 2 lobes of each anther [connective] with cross- wise wrinkles; flaments usually separate [rarely partly fused], yellow to dark maroon; teeth with squared [truncate] tips ...... Primula conjugens ...... [] 02b Leaves hairless; area between the 2 lobes of each anther [connective] smooth (usually) or with lengthwise wrinkles; flaments fused in a tube, yellow; capsule teeth with pointed tips...... Primula paucifora 3a ...... [] 03a Leave blades egg-shaped to elliptic, tapered to a long, slender stalk, wavy- or smooth-edged; plants without mealy powder; fowers 5-9 mm across ...... Primula egaliksensis S2 03b Leave blades variously shaped, indistinctly stalked, usually toothed, often with mealy 4a powder beneath; fowers 5-20 mm across .04 04a Plants small, slender, 5-12(20) cm tall, cordilleran; involucral bracts 2-6 mm long, fat to only slightly swollen at the base; fowers 8-14 mm across, in clusters of 1-5(10); calyx 3-6 mm long, with lobes ≈ tube; capsules 2-3 mm wide; seeds round, nearly smooth ...... 04b Plants larger, 10-40 cm tall, widespread across 4b AB; involucral bracts 3-14 mm long, with a distinct sac or swelling at the base; fowers 4-8 mm across, in clusters of 4-19; calyx 4-11 mm long, with lobes shorter than the tube; capsules 2.5-5 mm wide; seeds angular, rough...... Primula incana

5 References

Briton, N. L. and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated fora of the northern and Canada. reprinted by Dover Publicatons in 1970 editon. Dover Publicatons, Inc., New York, New York.

Brouillet, L., F. Coursol, S.J. Meades, M. Favreau, M. Anions, P. Bélisle & P. Des- met. 2015. VASCAN, the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. htp://data. canadensys.net/vascan/

Douglas, G. W., D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar. 1999. Illustrated fora of Britsh Colum- bia. Volume 4. Dicotyledons (Orobanchaceae through Rubiaceae). Britsh Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria, Britsh Columbia.

Flora North America Editorial Commitee. 2008-10. Flora North America website. Oxford University Press. Accessed, 2014-2016. www.fna.org.

Hitchcock, L. and A. Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacifc Northwest: An illustrated manual. University of Press, Seatle, Washington.

Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson. 1955-69. Vascular plants of the Pacifc Northwest. Volume 5. University of Washington Press, Seatle, Washington.

Moss, E. H. 1983. Flora of Alberta.2nd editon. University of Toronto Press, To- ronto, Ontario.

6 List of Species and Illustration Sources Scientfc Name Illus. Source Key to Illustration Sources Androsace chamaejasme H&C B&B = Britton, N. L. and A. Brown (1913) Androsace occidentalis H&C Androsace septentrionalis H&C H&C = Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Douglasia montana H&C Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson. (1955-69) Lysimachia ciliata H&C LK = Linda Kershaw. Lysimachia europaea H&C Lysimachia hybrida H&C JM = John Maywood.

Lysimachia latfolia H&C BC = Illustrated Flora of Lysimachia maritma JM (Douglas et. al., 1999); illustrations Lysimachia minima H&C provided courtesy of the Province of Lysimachia thyrsifora H&C British Columbia Primula conjugens H&C Primula egaliksensis JM Primula incana H&C Primula mistassinica JM; B&B Primula paucifora H&C

7 Index Anagallis minima. See Lysimachia minima Androsace 3 chamaejasme 3 occidentalis 3 septentrionalis 3 Centunculus minimus. See Lysimachia minima Dodecatheon. See Primula conjugens. See Primula conjugens pulchellum. See Primula paucifora Douglasia montana 3 Glaux maritima. See Lysimachia maritima Lysimachia 3, 4 ciliata 4 europaea 4 hybrida 4 lanceolata. See Lysimachia hybrida latifolia 4 maritima 4 minima 4 thyrsifora 4 Myrsinaceae. See Primulaceae Primula 3, 5 conjugens 5 egaliksensis 5 incana 5 mistassinica 5 paucifora 5 Primulaceae 3 Steironema ciliatum. See Lysimachia ciliata lanceolatum. See Lysimachia hybrida Trientalis borealis ssp. latifolia. See Lysimachia latifolia europaea. See Lysimachia europaea latifolia. See Lysimachia latifolia

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