PLANTS A FLORISTIC INVENTORY OF THE MCLENNAN LAKE AREA, SASKATCHEWAN

DIANA BIZECKI ROBSON, 811 Avenue E North, Saskatoon, SK S7L 1S7

In June of 1998 1 was able to a diversity of flora growing in such little explore the McLennan Lake area, soil. north of La Ronge, Saskatchewan. This part of the province is in the Black spruce (Picea glauca) and Boreal Shield ecoregion.2 The Shield trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) is much different in appearance than dominate the forests in the McLennan the Boreal Plain ecoregion to the Lake area. Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) south, which is covered by thick glacial is the other most common tree -species. till. The Boreal Shield has greater White spruce (Picea glauca) and topographical changes, and exposed tamarack (Larix laricina), while present, Precambrian rock outcrops and cliffs. are relatively uncommon. An incredible The soils are thin relative to those in diversity of understory vegetation is the Boreal Plain, especially near tops present including attractive mosses and of hills. While exploring rock outcrops lichens too numerous to count. Dry it often amazed me that there was such ground cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Figure 1 - Stemless lady's-slipper and associated habitat Diana Bizecki Robson

57(2). June 1999 83 Figure 2 - Lichen-covered rock outcrop Diana Bizecki Robson var. minor) is the most common and green cover nearly every square inch understory . This species produces of rock (Figure 2). Hardy vascular large quantities of berries that are an like three-toothed saxifrage (Saxifraga important food source for mammals tricuspidata), blueberry (Vaccinium indigenous to the area like the Black angustifolium var. myrtilloides), bristly Bear and Western Chipmunk. Other sarsaparilla ( hispida), rusty common understory vascular plants are woodsia (Woodsia ilvensis) and parsley club mosses (Lycopodium spp.), fern (Cryptogramma acrostichoides) wintergreens (Pyrola spp.), bunchberry grow in tiny pockets of soil present in the (Cornus canadensis), cloudberry rock cracks of cliffs (Figure 3). (Rubus chamaemorus) and western Canada violet (Viola rugulosa). The My floristic survey revealed that there beautiful stemless lady’s-slipper were 109 species of vascular plants (Cypripedium acauie) can sometimes be present in the area. However, there are found in open jack pine stands among likely more species present since later the reindeer moss (Cladina spp.) and blooming plants would not have been dry ground cranberry (Figure 1). In visible when I visited the area. Thus, this ravines connecting lakes together, list should not be considered complete; beautiful communities of ferns, (three of merely a starting point for further study. them considered rare in the province), Some of the moss and lichen genera berry-producing shrubs and sweet and species discovered while exploring scented mints abound. this area were also recorded. Since only a brief study of the bryophytes and By far the most amazing places in the lichens was conducted many more area are the granitic cliffs and hill tops— species are likely present. they are a lichen lover’s paradise. Crustose (crust-forming), foliose (leaf¬ All species were forming) and fruticose (branchlike) collected, except those marked with an lichens of yellow, orange, brown, black asterisk, and were donated to the W.P.

84 Blue Jay Cystopteris fragilis (L.) Bernh. - Fragile fern Dryopteris cristata (L.) Gray - Crested shield fern Dryopteris phegopteris (L.) Schott - Beech-fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris (L.) Newm. - Oak fern Polypodium virginianum (L.) D.C. Eaton - Common rock tripe Woodsia ilvensis (L.) R.Br. - Rusty woodsia EQUISETACEAE - Horsetail Family Equisetum hyemale L. - Common scouring-rush Equisetum sylvaticum L. - Woodland horsetail LYCOPODIACEAE - Club-moss Family Lycopodium annotinum L. - Stiff club- moss Lycopodium clavatum L. - Running-pine Lycopodium complanatum L. - Trailing club-moss Figure 3 - A lichen and fern covered Lycopodium obscurum L. - Ground-pine cliff Diana Bizecki Robson SPERMATOPHYTA - Seed-bearing Fraser Herbarium at the University of Plants Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. The lichen specimens were donated to Dr. John TREES Sheard’s lichen herbarium at the University of Saskatchewan. PINACEAE - Pine Family Nomenclature follows Kartesz and Larix laricina (DuRoi) K. Koch - Kartesz.1 Plants considered rare by the Tamarack * Saskatchewan Conservation Data Picea glauca (Moench) Voss - White Centre are in bold-faced type. spruce * Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP- Black spruce CHECKLIST OF THE FLORA OF THE Pinus banksiana Lamb. - Jack pine MCLENNAN LAKE AREA SALICACEAE - Willow Family Populus balsamifera L. - Balsam poplar PLANTAE - PLANT KINGDOM Populus tremuloides Michx, Trembling TRACHEOPHYTA - Vascular Plants aspen BETULACEAE - Birch Family PTERIDOPHYTA - Ferns and Fern Betula occidentalis Hook. - River birch Allies Betula papyrifera Marsh. - White birch

POLYPODIACEAE - Fern Family SHRUBS Athyrium filix-femina (L.) Roth - Lady fern CUPRESSACEAE - Cypress Family Cryptogramma acrostichoides R.Br. - Juniper us communis L. - Low juniper Parsley fern BETULACEAE - Birch Family

57(2). June 1999 85 Alnus viridis (Chaix) DC. - Green alder ORCHIDACEAE - Orchid Family MYRICACEAE - Bayberry Family Cypripedium acaule Ait. - Stemless Myrica gale L. - Sweet gale lady’s-slipper CORNACEAE - Dogwood Family Goodyera repens var. repens (L.) Br. - Cornus sericea L. - Red-osier dogwood Lesser rattlesnake-plantain ERICACEAE - Heath Family LILIACEAE - Lily Family Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. - Maianthemum canadense Desf - Two¬ Bearberry leaved Solomon’s-seal Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench. SANTALACEAE - Sandalwood Family - Leatherleaf Geocaulon lividum (Richards.) Fern - Gaultheria hispidula (L.) Muhl. - Northern bastard toad-flax Creeping snowberry POLYGONACEAE - Buckwheat Family Kalmia polifolia Wang. - Pale laurel Polygonum cilinode Michx. - Bindweed Ledum groenlandicum Oeder - RANUNCULACEAE - Crowfoot Family Labrador-tea Ranunculus reptans L. - Creeping Oxycoccus microcarpus Turcz. - Small buttercup bog cranberry CORNACEAE - Dogwood Family Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. var. minus Cornus canadensis L. - Bunchberry Lodd. - Dry ground cranberry ONAGRACEAE - Evening-primrose Vaccinium angustifolium Ait. var. Family myrtilloides (Michx.) House - Blueberry Epilobium angustifolium L. - Fireweed FUMARIACEAE - Fumitory Family CAPRIFOLIACEAE - Honeysuckle Corydalis sempervirens (L.) Pers. - Pink Family corydalis Viburnum edule (Michx.) Raf - Low MENYANTHACEAE - Buck-bean Family bush-cranberry Menyanthes trifoliata L. - Buck-bean Viburnum opulus L. var. americanum - Ginseng Family (Mill.) Ait. - High bush-cranberry Aralia hispida Vent. - Bristly sarsaparilla ROSACEAE - Rose Family L. - Wild sarsaparilla Prunus pensylvanica L. - Pin cherry RUBIACEAE - Madder Family Rosa acicularis Lindl. - Prickly rose Galium trifidum L. - Small bedstraw Rubus idaeus L. - Wild red raspberry LAMIACEAE - Mint Family SAXIFRAGACEAE - Saxifrage Family Lycopus virginicus L. var. pauciflorus Ribes hudsonianum Richards. - Benth - Northern water-horehound Northern black currant Mentha arvensis L. - Wild mint Ribes oxyacanthoides L. - Northern LORANTHACEAE - Mistletoe Family gooseberry Arceuthobium Bieb. spp. * - Mistletoe SALICACEAE - Willow Family CARYOPHYLLACEAE - Pink Family Salix bebbiana Sarg. - Beaked willow Stellaria calycantha (Ledeb.) Bong - Salix discolor Muhl. - Pussy willow Northern stitchwort. Salix monticola Bebb. - Mountain willow POTAMOGETONACEAE - Pondweed Salix pedicellaris Pursh - Bog willow Family Potamogeton praelongus Wulf - White- HERBS stem pondweed PRIMULACEAE - Primrose Family TYPHACEAE - Cattail Family Trientalis borealis Raf - Northern Typha latifolia L. - Common cattail Starflower ARACEAE - Arum. Family ROSACEAE - Rose Family Cal la palustris L. - Water cal la Comarum palustre L. - Marsh cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica L. - Rough

86 Blue Jay cinquefoil groundsel Rubus chamaemorus L. - Cloudberry Solidago spathulata DC. - Mountain Rubus pubescens Raf - Dewberry goldenrod Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (Aiton) Rydb. - Three-toothed cinquefoil GRAMINOIDS - Grasses and Grass¬ SAXIFRAGACEAE - Saxifrage Family like Plants Heuchera richardsonii R.Br - Alumroot Saxifraga tricuspidata Rottb. - Three¬ POACEAE - Grass Family toothed saxifrage Alopecurus aequalis Sobol. - Short- VIOLACEAE - Violet Family awned foxtail Viola canadensis L. - Western Canada Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx.) violet Beauv. - Marsh reed grass Oryzopsis pungens (Torr.) Hitchc. - HYDROPHYLLACEAE - Waterleaf Northern rice grass Family Poa glauca Vahl - Glaucous blue grass Phacelia_franklinii (R.Br.) Gray - Poa nemoralis L, Wood blue grass Franklin’s scorpionweed CYPERACEAE - Sedge Family NYMPHAEACEAE - Water-lily Family Carex aquatilis Wahl. - Water sedge Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm. - Yellow pond lily Carex atherodes Spreng. - Awned LENTIBULARIACEAE - Bladderwort sedge Family Carex brevior (Dewey) Mack. - Sedge Utricularia vulgaris L. - Greater Carex buxbaumii Wahl. - Brown sedge bladderwort Carex canescens L. - Short sedge HALORAGACEAE - Water-milfoil Carex deflexa Hornem. - Bent sedge Family Carex disperma Dewey - Two-seeded Myriophyllum spicatum L. - Spiked sedge water-milfoil Carex leptalea Wahl. - Bristle-stalked PYROLACEAE - Wintergreen Family sedge Moneses uniflora (L.) Gray - One- Eriophorum brachyantherum Trautv. - flowered wintergreen Close-sheathed cotton-grass Orthilia secunda (L.) House - One-sided wintergreen JUNCACEAE - Rush Family Pyrola asarifolia Michx. - Pink Juncus balticus Willd. - Baltic rush wintergreen Juncus longistylis Torn - Long-styled Pyrola chlorantha Sw. - Greenish- rush flowered wintergreen CAPRIFOLIACEAE - Honeysuckle BRYOPHYTA - Non-vascular Plants Family (Mosses & Liverworts) Linnaea borealis L. - Twinflower ASTERACEAE - Aster Family MOSSES Achillea millefolium L. - Woolly yarrow Ceratodon spp. * Antennaria parvifolia Nutt. - Small¬ Dicranum spp. * leaved pussytoes Hylocomium spp. Leucanthemum vulgare Lam. - Ox-eye Pleurozium schreberi daisy Polytrichum spp. Matricaria disco idea DC. Ptilium spp. * Pineappleweed Pylaisiella spp. * Petasites frigidus (L.) Fr. - Palmate¬ Sphagnum spp. * leaved colt’s-foot Senecio pauperculus Michx. - Balsam

57(2). June 1999 87 LIVERWORTS Acknowledgements Ptilidium spp * Thanks are extended to Dr. Vernon MYCETEAE - FUNGI KINGDOM Harms for assisting with verification of the vascular plant specimens. Dr. John LICHENS Sheard graciously agreed to identify the Actinogyra muhlenbergii lichen species collected. Rick Kolstad Bryoria spp. and Debbie Peters of Forest House Cetraria spp. Lodge acted as tour guides and hosts Cladina mites during my visit. Cladina stellaris Cladonia amaurocrea Literature Cited Cladonia gracilis Cladonia coccifera 1. KARTESZ, J.T., AND R. KARTESZ. Flavocetraria spp. 1980. A synonymized checklist of the Hypnogymnia spp. vascular flora of the United States, Nephroma bellum Canada and Greenland. University of Parmelia spp. * North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. Peltigera canina Stereocaulon tomentosum 2. ACTON, D.F., G.A. PADBURY, AND Umbilicaria deusta C.T. STUSHNOFF. 1998. The Usnea spp. * ecoregions of Saskatchewan. Canadian Xanthoparmelia taractica Plains Research Center, University of Regina, Regina. * = No voucher specimen collected Bold = plants are rare according to the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Center.

Tiger Salamader George Tosh

88 Blue Jay