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Home , Anemone multifida, Gilead, Hedysarum alpinum, Linnaea borealis, Lupinus arcticus, Lupinus kuschei

Wildlife Viewing

Common roadside © Government of Yukon 2019 ISBN 987-1-55362-830-9 A guide to common Yukon roadside flowers All photos are Yukon government unless otherwise noted. Bog Laurel Cover artwork of Lupine by Lee Mennell. Yukon is home to more than 1,250 of flowering For more information contact: . Many of these plants Government of Yukon are perennial (continuously Wildlife Viewing Program living for more than two Box 2703 (V-5R) years). This guide highlights Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6 the flowers you are most likely to see while travelling Phone: 867-667-8291 Toll free: 1-800-661-0408 x 8291 by road through the territory. Email: [email protected] It describes 58 species of Yukon.ca flowering , grouped by Table of contents Find us on Facebook at “Yukon Wildlife Viewing” colour followed by a section on Yukon trees. Introduction...... 2 To identify a flower, flip to the Pink flowers...... 6 appropriate colour section White flowers...... 10 and match your flower with Yellow flowers...... 19 the pictures. Although it is Purple/blue flowers...... 24 Additional resources often thought that ’s Green flowers...... 31 While this guide is an excellent place to start when identi- north is a barren landscape, fying a Yukon wildflower, we do not recommend relying you’ll soon see that it is Trees...... 32 solely on it, particularly with reference to using plants actually home to an amazing as food or medicines. The following are some additional diversity of unique flora. resources available in Yukon libraries and bookstores. Four-parted Gentian The Boreal Herbal: Wild Food & Medicine Plants of the North (2011). Gray, B. Aroma Borealis Press. Field Guide to Wildflowers (2009). Pratt, V.E. Alaskakrafts Publishing. Flora of the Yukon Territory (1996). Cody, W.J. NRC Research Press Plants of Northern British Columbia (1999). Mackinnon, A., Pojar, J. & R. Coupé, Lone Pine Publishing. Wildflowers of the Yukon, Alaska and Northwestern Canada (2009). Trelawny, J. Harbour Publishing

1 Introduction

Yukon’s territorial flower Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) is Yukon’s official flower. Although it is found in most parts of Canada, it is a common plant here thanks to fires. As one of the first plants to colonize a landscape after a forest fire, Fireweed sets Viewing etiquette eating dandelions. the hillsides ablaze with brilliant pinks and purples, To be respectful of plants, their habitats a welcome reminder of the and other wildlife, please follow these guidelines. regrowth to come. Avoid trampling. Follow trails and paths to avoid Fireweed is used in many unnecessary trampling of vegetation. If you must move off locally produced products, the path, spread out to minimize the impact on one area.

such as honey, tea, salads Peter Long Clean your boots and pants to avoid and creams. One local Fireweed is one of the first to cross-contaminating areas. from invasive brewery even makes a bloom after a forest fire. plants may cling to your pant cuffs, socks or boot bottoms special ale with it. and could be transferred to another area. However, Fireweed was not the first choice for the flower Watch for wildlife. Many flowers produce seeds of the territory. At the urging of Martha Louise Black, and berries. Try not to disturb birds and wildlife while an avid flower lover and well-respected resident of the time, they are enjoying their feast. Yukon adopted the Prairie Crocus () as its official flower in 1954. Mrs. Black felt the crocus represented Take only pictures. Many of these plants take years the Yukon spirit because it is the first flower to appear to bloom and picking them could kill the rest of the plant. as the snow melts. She felt Fireweed was too “common” Pick up litter. Please leave an area as clean and to merit special status. undisturbed as possible, so that the next visitors can Unfortunately, Manitoba enjoy the same Yukon wildlife experience. had laid claim to the Pasque- flower, as the Prairie Crocus is also known. Out of deference to Mrs. Black, the government waited until after she passed away in 1957 before naming Peter Long Bruce Bennett the resilient Fireweed as Peter Long A wildlife viewer takes home a Foxtail Barley seeds can Yukon’s official flower. Prairie Crocus or Pasqueflower. souvenir of a unique plant, in the spread by sticking to clothing. form of a great photo. 2 3 Unique Yukon flora Yukon invaders

Some people think Canada’s north is a harsh landscape This guide includes with very little natural diversity. Boreal of evergreen descriptions of trees do dominate the area, but a variety of habitats contain the most common many unique and interesting plants. wildflowers you may see, whether During the Ice Age, lan expose toay they are native a vast landscape Berinian shoreline, expose seabe Glaciers urin last laciation or introduced. in Yukon remained RCC OC N ndigirka R. unglaciated. Known Yukon After habitat loss, Chukchi ea as , many olyma R. invasive plants and plants and animals Sieria aska animals are the Omolon R. ukon R.

nadyr R. Lloyd Freese continued to thrive greatest threat to biodiversity. ering ea here while much Of the 120 plant species of Canada was introduced to Yukon, a few Common Tansy is mildly toxic and buried under ice. PCFC OC 0 500 km have become invasive. Adapted from Hopkins et al., 1982, al., 1982, Hopkins et from Adapted Beringia. of Paleoecology emits a pungent smell when crushed. The isolation of Though some of these Extent of ice flow during recent glaciation. Beringia allowed invasive plants may have beautiful flowers, they may some plants to evolve so that they are found no place else on also harbour disease or insect pests, and have the potential . This has made Yukon one of the richest floral to change natural processes such as increasing fire in Canada, with greater diversity than the . frequency or restricting water flow. In order to keep native Yukon plants healthy and abundant, please take care to not transplant or spread new species around the territory. Martin Owen Bruce Bennett

Yukon Draba is only found Yukon Goldenweed is one in southwest Yukon and nowhere of five Yukon plants found else on earth. nowhere else on earth.

Baikal Sedge needs specific habitat, such as

the Carcross Dunes, Bruce Bennett Bruce Bennett to survive. It is listed as Threathened Perennial Sow-thistle is an invasive Great Blanket Flower, a garden Peter Long in Canada. plant that spreads long distances plant that has gone wild. by wind-blown . 4 5 Kinnikinnick Pink Flowers Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | Heath family

This trailing evergreen shrub is common on rocky outcrops Raup’s Paintbrush Bruce Bennett Castilleja raupii | Figwort family and dry forest floors throughout Yukon, often forming mats. The name Kinnikinnick, meaning The purplish-pink flowers look like “mixture” in the Chinook trading they have been dipped in paint, language, refers to the use of giving this plant its common name. the of this plant in Raup’s Paintbrush is a parasitic smoking mixtures. The small, plant, feeding on the roots of pink, urn-shaped flowers give other plants. A similar species, way to bright red berries that Yukon Paintbrush (Castilleja yukonis) are edible, but dry and mealy. has yellow flowers and can be Bruce Bennett found in southern Yukon. There are Mountain Cranberry, Low-bush Cranberry eight species of paintbrush Vaccinium vitis-idaea ssp. minus | Heath family in Yukon. This small, mat-forming evergreen shrub Twinflower is one of the most well-known Yukon borealis | Honeysuckle family plants. The small pink or white flowers give way to edible, shiny, dark red berries Peter Long that ripen in late August or September. This creeping evergreen The berries can be somewhat acidic gets its common name but sweeten dramatically after the from its paired, small, first frost. Berries can be eaten raw or sweet-smelling pink used in baking and for jams and jellies. flowers that hang from Peter Long slender Y-shaped stalks. However, Twinflower is perhaps more celebrated What’s the difference? for its scientific name, Mountain Cranberry (left) and Linnaea. This delicate Kinnikinnick (right) are low flower, the favourite of sprawling plants that form mats on the forest floor. 18th century Swedish Mountain Cranberry leaves botanist , founder of the modern scientific are oval with notched tips, Peter Long naming system, was named for him. Twinflower grows a prominent midvein, in both forested areas and meadows, and can tolerate and rounded at both ends. Kinnikinnick has longer shade well. leaves that taper towards the stem. Its berries develop earlier and are orange-red compared to the soft burgundy-red of the Mountain Cranberry. Peter Long 6 7 Pink Flowers

Fireweed Peter Long Chamerion angustifolium | Evening Primrose family Prickly Rose This bright, showy plant is Yukon’s Rosa acicularis | Rose family territorial flower. Called “Fireweed” because of its sudden abundance This small shrub has in areas cleared by forest fire, prickly stems and large, this plant readily colonizes fragrant pink, solitary roadsides, meadows and gravel flowers, and is wide- bars. In forests, plants can often be spread at low to seen in their much less conspicuous medium elevations non-flowering form, waiting for throughout Yukon. fire to clear out the shading trees. Late in the summer, Every part of the Fireweed plant flowers become large is edible, and the nectar-rich flowers rosehips that are edible and high in produce high-grade honey. vitamin C. Before eating rosehips, open them and discard the spiny seeds. Rosehips can also be made into tasty

jams and jellies. Peter Long River Beauty Chamerion latifolium | Evening Primrose family Dwarf Raspberry, Nagoon Berry Adolf Ceska Rubus arcticus ssp. acaulis | Rose family This low-growing bushy plant is closely related to, This creeping dwarf shrub Peter Long and greatly resembles, gives rise to pretty deep Fireweed. River Beauty pink or purple flowers. In late blooms in July and August, July and August, deep red, creating swaths of bright edible berries appear that Bruce Bennett pink along roadsides, provide a tasty snack and in river-bars and on make excellent jam, if you have mountain sides. Like its enough patience to find the sparse bigger relative, River Beauty . The Latin name, acaulis, is also edible. means stemless, referring to the absence of a woody stem.

8 9 White Flowers Dorothy Cooley

Jakutsk Snow-parsley Conioselinum cnidiifolium | Parsnip family Bruce Bennett Northern Bedstraw Jakutsk Snow-parsley grows Galium boreale | Coffee family on roadsides, gravelly river banks and meadows in both This pleasant-smelling perennial wet and dry areas of central plant is found in open dry areas and western Yukon. It is such as meadows and roadsides. named after the city of It is a member of the coffee Jakutsk (Yakutsk) in , family, and its can where it was first described. be roasted and used as a To be safe, don’t taste it – caffeine-free coffee substitute. the closely related, The leaves and roots have also but poisonous, Mackenzie’s been used to make tea. Water Hemlock (Cicuta virosa) Distintive leaves at the Peter Long grows across Yukon as well. base of the plant. Dwarf Dogwood, Bunchberry Cow Parsnip Cornus canadensis | Dogwood family Heracleum maximum | Parsnip family Peter Long Bunchberry gets its name This robust perennial from the tight cluster of

is widespread on bright-red berries that Peter Long stream banks and develop in early August. moist, ground. These berries replace the It has large, rhubarb- inconspicuous, small, sized leaves. Small, purple true flowers that white flowers grow lie closely-packed at the in clusters at the top centre of the “white flower.” of hollow stems and This white flower is not give off a strong, actually a flower at all, unpleasant odor but rather four white that attracts flies. Cow Parsnip is not poisonous, unlike the bracts that are modified closely related White Parsley (Cicuta maculata) which contains leaves. A common sight cicutotoxin, a deadly poison. Yet care should be taken when on moist forest floors, Bruce Bennett touching Cow Parsnip as some people may experience pain, it can be seen along many Bunchberries in fall. itching or blistering from direct skin contact. of Yukon’s wooded trails. 10 11 White Flowers White Sweetclover Melilotus albus | Pea family Dorothy Cooley

Terry McIntosh Scheuchzer’s Cottongrass White Sweetclover is one of Yukon’s Eriophorum scheuchzeri | Sedge family most problematic invasive plants. This plant can grow to a height of This circumpolar species is two metres, although most plants not a true grass, despite its are less than one metre tall. A single name. Cottongrass is easily plant can produce 300,000 seeds, recognized when going to which can remain viable in water seed by the fluffy tufts that or soil for over 80 years. Already resemble cotton batting. widespread throughout southern The “cotton” is actually a Yukon, this plant readily invades collection of long white hairs gravelly, well-drained soils, that help the seeds disperse such as roadsides, riverbanks, in the wind. In the past, cottongrass has been used and gravel bars. Along with its for everything from stuffing pillows to dressing wounds. close relative, Yellow Sweetclover Yukon is home to nine species of cottongrass. (Melilotus officinalis), White Sweetclover alters soil conditions by fixing nitrogen, out-competes native plants, Labrador Tea degrades natural , and can alter sedimentation Rhododendron groenlandicum | Heath family rates in rivers.

This evergreen shrub Mountain Death Camas Bruce Bennett is easily identified, Zygadenus elegans | Lily family with or without flowers, by its distinctive leaves: This ominously named flower glossy dark green above, contains the poisonous alkaloid with rust-coloured, hairy zygadine. If ingested, Mountain undersides. The closely Death Camas causes vomiting, related species, Trapper’s decreased body temperature, Tea (Rhododendron difficulty breathing and coma. tomentosum), is a smaller This plant is widespread in Peter Long plant with narrower leaves, Yukon and grows in poplar forests and is also found throughout Yukon. and open meadows. Both species are used to make a Depending on elevation, distinctive tea, though Rhododendrum it flowers from late tomentosum is more sought after and June to August. Peter Long said to give the nicest flavour.

12 13 White Flowers

Stefan Gottermann Wild Strawberry Bruce Bennett Fragaria virginiana | Rose family Alaska Wild-rhubarb Aconogonon alaskanum | Buckwheat family Found in forests and open meadows, Alaska Wild-rhubarb is Wild Strawberries often usually found growing in form small colonies. showy clumps on roadsides In July, the small white or other disturbed sites. flowers are replaced Flowers are yellowish-white by edible juicy red fruit or cream coloured. that contains more The young stems vitamin C, gram for gram, than oranges. and leaves of this This species is the original parent of plant are edible 90 per cent of all cultivated strawberries (unlike the related now grown. The related species, Beach Garden Rhubarb Peter Long Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), is the (Rheum rhabarbarum), original parent of the remaining 10 per cent. Bruce Bennett that has poisonous leaves).

Mountain Avens Dryas integrifolia | Rose family Sparrow’s-egg Lady’s-slipper, Northern Lady’s-slipper Peter Long Mountain Avens has evergreen | Orchid family leaves that form a mat over hard surfaces. It is a hardy Blooming in late June or early July, species that colonizes rocky, this plant can be found in barren slopes, gravelly areas sphagnum bogs, gravel outwashes, and river flats where it can and wet talus. The distinctive dominate communities. white, pouch-shaped flower has Blooming in June and July, dark purple spots on the inside the flowers and seeds were that are occasionally visible. used by some First Nations Bruce Bennett This plant can take up to 15 years people to make a bright green dye. The Eight-petalled to flower. It is one of three species ( ) Mountain Avens Dryas octopetala is the territorial flower of lady’s-slipper in Yukon. of the . Yellow Mountain Avens (Dryas drummondi) is common in southwest Yukon.

14 15 Marsh Grass-of-Parnassus, Bog Star White Flowers Parnassia palustris | Saxifrage family

This prefers wet, open Bog Buckbean Bruce Bennett Menyanthes trifoliata | Buckbean family places. It occurs in wet tundra or along lake shores and riparian areas such as This circumpolar plant prefers bogs river banks. The flower’s are about and wet lakeshores. The white flowers twice the length of its (arrow). appear hairy, and grow in clusters at It owes its name to a description of a the top of the plant. A tea made from grass-like plant growing on the side of the dried roots or leaves can be used Mount Parnassus. When the ancient to treat digestive problems, and to Greek description was translated, relieve fever and migraine headaches. this “grass” was taken to be Parnassia However, in high doses this plant has palustris. Although this was likely a laxative effect. The foliage is similar a mistake since Parnassia are not to broad beans, which may have grasslike, the name persists. given rise to its name. The Peter Long were often used by Alaska natives to Two other types of Parnassia are make emergency bread for survival. (left) P. fimbriata – with showy fringes on the petals – and (right) P. kotzebuei (with sepals and petals about the same size).

Cut- Peter Long Anemone multifida | Buttercup family

This plant is common on Prickly Saxifrage, gravelly roadsides and dry Three-toothed Saxifrage Saxifraga tricuspidata | Saxifrage family

slopes throughout southern Bruce Bennett Yukon. Flowers can be white, yellow, pink, purple, or even This plant is named for its bright red. A similar plant with leaves that are rigid and creeping roots, the Northern leathery with three pointed, Anemone (Anemone parviflora) tooth-like lobes at the end. grows in moister, shaded areas. If you look closely at the are also called “Wind Flowers” small white flowers, from the Latin word for wind: anemos. you can see they are dotted Cut-leaf Anemone flowers from May with small red-orange spots. to July and is the most common of the This common saxifrage is seven species of anemone in Yukon. found in dry, rocky areas throughout Yukon. Peter Long Peter Long 16 17 White Flowers Yellow Flowers

Common Yarrow Bruce Bennett Northern Goldenrod Achillea millefolium | Sunflower family Solidago multiradiata | Sunflower family

This aromatic plant is found along This perennial herb is one roadsides and growing in gravely of the most common and and sandy soils throughout Yukon, widespread species on especially in the south. Because the alpine tundra. It is also of its usefulness, this plant was common in open forests, one of the first plants ever named. meadows, slopes, and Common Yarrow was named for gravel bars throughout Achilles, who used the leaves to Yukon. Solidago is a group staunch wounds. It is a natural of medicinal plants. insect repellent, and can be boiled Translated from Latin, to relieve congestion. the name means to make (ago) whole (solidus). Tufted Fleabane Peter Long Erigeron caespitosus | Sunflower family Narrow-leaved Arnica Arnica angustifolia | Sunflower family This aster-like plant is adapted to dry, gravelly soils and can dominate Found in dry, sandy, gravelly grasslands in southwest Yukon. places and open forests, The name “fleabane” was given to Alpine Arnica ranges this species because it was believed throughout Yukon. The name that bunches of the dried plant Arnica comes from the Greek hung indoors would drive out fleas. word “arna” meaning lamb, During the last ice age, Tufted and refers to the white hairs Fleabane was separated from the on the leaves and stalks of rest of its range on the this plant. Many species of southern Canada. of Arnica have been used in Peter Long and as topical herbal remedies Asteraceae: The Sunflower family, the largest family of flowering plants in the world, has 125 species in Yukon. for everything from bruises This widespread family is most common in temperate regions, to hair loss. Arnica should in open and dry environments. Lettuce, Artichoke, Ragweed not be ingested; it can be fatal and Echinacea are also members of the Sunflower family. in large quantities. Peter Long 18 19 Yellow Flowers Narrowleaf Hawksbeard Mastodon Flower, Marsh Fleabane Crepis tectorum | Sunflower family Senecio congestus | Sunflower family This invasive plant occurs This circumpolar plant prefers throughout Yukon along all major wet places and disturbed areas, highways. Unlike the similar and can grow to one metre looking dandelion, Narrowleaf in height. Its numerous small Hawksbeard grows a single, yellow flowers appear together sometimes branched, stem from in large “congested” tight clusters. a small taproot that is easily The young leaves and flowering pulled from the ground. It does stems are edible and can be not compete well in undisturbed added to salad. sites, but readily colonizes frequently disturbed areas such as roadsides and rivers. Bruce Bennett Adolf Ceska Adolf Horned Dandelion Pasture Sage Taraxacum ceratophorum | Sunflower family Artemisia frigida | Sunflower family This native dandelion gets its name from its visible horned This distinctive, hairy, silvery- bracts. It is more widespread than the introduced dandelion, green plant has small, pale Taraxacum officinale, that plagues residential lawns. yellow flower heads, but is Dandelions get their name from the French description easily recognized when not of their leaves: “dent de lion” or “lion’s teeth,” referring to in bloom. Common in dry the toothed leaves. Young leaves can be eaten raw or rocky slopes, grasslands and cooked as a green vegetable, however, the leaves become sandy areas, this plant gives bitter with age. Yukon is home to at least four native off a strong fragrance when species of dandelion that range in colour from white crushed. Although it is not through pink to almost purple. closely related to commercial cooking sage, it can be used Arrows point to the in cooking as a substitute. bracts. (left) T. officinale Pasture Sage can also be has reflexed or bent burned as a means of driving back bracts. (right) T. ceratophorum has

away insects. Peter Long erect horned bracts.

Peter Long Bruce Bennett 20 21 Labrador Lousewort Yellow Flowers Pedicularis labradorica | Figwort family

Silverberry, Wolf This distinctive plant can be found Elaeagnus commutata | Oleaster family in open mossy places on tundra. The pure yellow variety sulphurea This shrub spreads rapidly into is unique to Yukon. Labrador disturbed areas, forming large Lousewort is a root parasite, patches of silvery leaves and berries. drawing nutrients away from the The Donjek River (Dän Zhür Chù) roots of neighbouring plants. in southwest Yukon was named Bruce Bennett for the Silverberry plants that line Yellow Water Lily the river banks. The flowers Nuphar polysepalum | Water Lily family are extremely fragrant and the large seeds have been These showy flowers can be found used as decorative beads. on ponds, shallow lakes and slow-moving streams in forested MeikleJohn Peter Long parts of Yukon. The rhizomes of Yellow Water Lilies are an important food source for beaver, muskrat, Soapberry, Soopolallie and . They can be sliced thinly Shepherdia canadensis | Oleaster family and dried for human consumption.

In early spring, tiny yellowish-brown flowers bloom on both male Northern Yellow Locoweed Peter Long (pictured) and female Soapberry Oxytropis campestris | Pea family shrubs. In late June, the female flowers produce bitter red berries This densely tufted, hairy plant which, when whipped into a froth, can be found in dry, sandy, become “Indian ice cream.” gravelly places. Northern Yellow Locoweed contains the alkaloid Soapberry and Silverberry are swainsonine and is extremely both important wild animal foods, toxic. Locoweed is named particularly for bears, birds, for the disease “Locoism” in and voles. which livestock appear mentally Peter Long disordered, and experience paralysis and impaired vision as a result of poisoning from these plants. Bruce Bennett 22 23 Bear-root, Indian Potato Purple/Blue Flowers alpinum | Pea family

Siberian Aster Bruce Bennett This tall Hedysarum is both beautiful Aster sibiricus | Sunflower family and an important food source. It can be found along roadsides, on rocky This plant prefers gravelly slopes and gravel bars, and in forests. river areas, dry meadows and Its carbohydrate-rich roots are edible open forests. Asters are eaten and, when roasted or boiled, taste by a number of wildlife species, similar to potatoes or young . especially deer and moose. The roots of Hedysarum alpinum are an important food source for Grizzly Bears, but humans must be cautious Bruce Bennett Tall Lungwort, Bluebells not to confuse Bear-root with Northern Sweet-vetch. Mertensia paniculata | Borage family Bruce Bennett This flower is recognized by Northern Sweet-vetch, Wild Sweet-pea Hedysarum boreale ssp. mackenziei | Pea family branched clusters of drooping bell-shaped flowers, which give Hedysarum boreale is this plant its common name. reported to be poisonous. Preferring moist areas, it can be The visible differences found in forests and meadows Peter Long between it and Bear-root and along stream banks. are subtle: Northern Its leaves are edible and a tasty Sweet-vetch has a long, addition to a summer salad. thin, linear calyx while the Bear-root calyx is triangular Left: Long, thin calyx of boreale. or deltoid shaped. Right: Deltoid-shaped calyx of alpinum. Showy Crazyweed, Showy Locoweed Oxytropis splendens | Pea family Poisonous Plants: Be extremely cautious when identifying This bright plant can be found potentially edible plants. Some delicious plants have deadly on dry, sandy, and shady slopes. cousins that are quite similar in appearance. Confusion between the nearly identical Hedysarum species was suspected in the Most Oxytropis species are toxic, poisoning of Sir John Richardson’s arctic expedition of 1820. and if ingested by livestock, It was also thought to be the cause of death for Chris McCandless, result in the disease whose story is told in the book

“Locoism” (see Northern and movie Into the Wild. However,

Yellow Locoweed). Peter Long recent studies have determined However, bears eat this that this plant is not as toxic as previously thought, leaving the plant in the spring with Northern Sweet-vetch. deaths of these men a mystery. no obvious ill effects. Adolf Ceska Peter Long 24 25 Purple/Blue Flowers

Lupines: As with many species of the Pea Family (), lupines are poisonous and have been known to kill animals that have eaten them. All three lupines found in Yukon are shades of purple and their differences are subtle. Yukon and Nootka lupines have small hairs on the upper surface of their leaves, while Arctic Wild Flax Lupine’s leaves are bare. The three lupines occupy unique habitats. Linum lewisii | Flax family Yukon Lupines are found only in loose sandy soils of south-central and southwest Yukon, and Nootka Lupines only in the mountains Wild Flax ranges from northern of southwest Yukon, including the White Pass and Haines Pass. to the Canadian arctic But Arctic Lupines can be found throughout the territory. archipelago. Flowers bloom along a very long, slender stem with long Arctic Lupine leaves. It can survive in very dry, Bruce Bennett arcticus | Pea family salty or cold soils, making it an Arctic Lupine is one of the most common excellent plant for use in gardens wildflowers in Yukon. The Latin name, and maintenance-free landscaping. Lupinus, is derived from Lupus, or wolf, Commercial linseed oil comes alluding to the early belief that Lupines from another species of Linum. were “wolfing” nutrients from the soil. Peter Long Yet Lupines improve the soil by adding Dragonhead nitrogen and organic matter. Peter Long Dracocephalum parviflorum | Mint family Bruce Bennett Yukon Lupine Lupinus kuschei | Pea family This plant is named for its cluster of small Yukon Lupine can be found in flowers (parviflorum) abundance in the Carcross Dunes. that grow at the head This species of Lupine is thought of the plant and are to have evolved in Beringia, and is only said to resemble a known from sites in Yukon, Alaska dragon’s (Draco) head and northwestern British Columbia. (cephalum). This plant Bruce Bennett grows for one or two Nootka Lupine years and can be found Lupinus nootkatensis | Pea family throughout Canada and the northern U.S. Nootka Lupine, occurs in the mountain in disturbed sites, passes of the Haines Road and South particularly after burns. Klondike Highway, and have leaf stems no longer than the leaf blades. Bruce Bennett 26 27 Purple/Blue Flowers

Adolf Ceska

Calypso, Lady’s Slipper Peter Long Calypso bulbosa | Orchid family Northern Monkshood delphiniifolium | Buttercup family This interesting-looking plant is found among Northern Monkshood is named for its the on shaded dark blue or purple flowers that are forest floors. It is shaped like the hood of a monk’s robe. appropriately named All parts of this plant are extremely after Calypso, the poisonous, especially the roots and -nymph daughter seeds. They contain the deadly of Atlas in Greek poisons aconitine and aconine, mythology, whose which cause loss of feeling, sweating, name means “she who hides.” It is a delicate, fragrant, decreased body temperature, pinky-purple flower that sits above a spotted lip or “slipper.” respiratory difficulties and, in high Calypso is very susceptible to trampling as it has thin fragile doses, cardiac arrest. roots. It grows with the help of a fungus, so, if transplanted, usually dies or rarely flowers again. Prairie Crocus, Pasqueflower Showy ’s Ladder Pulsatilla patens | Buttercup family Polemonium pulcherrimum | Phlox family Arguably the most popular This pretty tufted plant has small Yukon flower, for many lavender (sometimes white) flowers Yukoners the emergence that bloom in early June. The name of the Prairie Crocus in late Jacob’s Ladder refers to the ladder- April or early May signals like arrangement of the leaves. spring’s arrival. The entire The scientific namepulcherrimum surface of the plant, means “very handsome” and is including the flowers, a fitting description of this popular is covered in fuzzy white plant. Showy Jacob’s Ladder hairs. These are crucial to prefers dry, rocky, or sandy areas. the plant’s survival in the Peter Long Peter Long Two other types of Jacob’s Ladder call Yukon home: chilly months of spring. Insects will often take refuge Boreal Jacob’s Ladder (P. boreale), found in the alpine, inside the flowers, where it can be 10°C warmer and Tall Jacob’s Ladder (P. acutiflorum), found in wet areas. than the surrounding air.

28 29 Purple/Blue Flowers Green Flowers

Gorman’s Beardtongue Bruce Bennett Northwest Territory Sedge Adolf Ceska Penstemon gormanii | Figwort family Carex utriculata | Sedge family

This species of Penstemon This large plant prefers wet areas is found only in southwest at low to moderate elevations. Yukon, west-central Alaska Sedges are often confused with and northern British Columbia. grasses, but here is a helpful Gorman’s Beardtongue prefers rhyme for telling them apart: dry, sandy or gravelly sites. “Sedges have edges, rushes are The name Beardtongue round, and grasses are hollow, refers to the hairy tongue-like like holes in the ground.” lower lip of the flowers. The “edges” of sedges can be Penstemon refers to its five felt by rolling the stalk between (pent) (stemon). two fingers. Northwest Territory Four of these stamens are Sedge is an important food source fertile and one is sterile. for waterbirds and muskrat. Nearly In 1899, Martin Gorman, from Oregon, was the first one in ten of Yukon’s flowers are western botanist to collect the plant. sedges: a total of 120 species.

Foxtail Barley Peter Long Smooth Brome Bruce Bennett Hordeum jubatum | Grass family Bromus inermis | Grass family

This perennial tufted plant has Smooth Brome is an introduced feathery green to purple awns and invasive plant in Yukon. that have a distinctive rippling Its ability to suppress all other appearance in the breeze. native species by forming a thick Many people find these awns mat of rhizomes also makes it an attractive but they can cause important hay crop. It is found in physical harm. The awns are every Yukon community except barbed and will work their way Old Crow, as well as along most into the eyes, nose, gums and Yukon highways where it was throats of animals, both domestic and wild. Foxtail Barley seeded to stop erosion and is native to Yukon and, while not technically an invasive plant, discourage willow growth. If found it behaves the same way. It follows human disturbance and far from roads or rivers, Smooth is particularly aggressive in the dry alkaline soil of southern Brome is likely the legacy of a Yukon where it causes problems for farmers. long-abandoned farm or settlement. 30 31 Trees Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall Coniferous trees keep their needles year-round Subalpine Fir Abies lasiocarpa | Pine family Trembling Aspen Populus tremuloides | Willow family The Subalpine Fir is usually found at Trembling Aspen has oval-shaped leaves high altitudes. Its needles are flat and with flat stems that easily catch the breeze reach upward. The Subalpine Fir is and tremble. Leaves are often covered Yukon’s territorial tree. Remy Rodden with tracks of the Aspen Leaf Miner insect. Peter Long White Picea glauca | Pine family Balsam Poplar Populus balsamifera | Willow family White Spruce is has short, sharply Balsam Poplar is a tall tree with pointed, four-sided needles on all sides spade-shaped leaves. Its smooth, of white, smooth, horizontal branches. green bark blackens and cracks It is found in well-drained, dry soils. with age. Fragrant spring buds

make the famous “Balm of .” | Peter Long Black Spruce Picea mariana Pine family Willow Species Salix species | Willow family Black Spruce has shorter needles and rounder cones than White Spruce. There are over 45 species of willow in Its drooping lower branches are covered Yukon but only 10 grow large enough to with reddish hairs, while its upper be considered trees. Felt-Leaved Willow, branches are clumped together, the most widespread of all the tree-like looking like giant bird nests. , is found throughout Yukon, Bruce Bennett as as the arctic coast. Bruce Bennett Tamarack Larix laricina | Pine family

Betula neoalaskana | Alaska Paper Birch family This tree has short needles that grow Birch trees have thin, papery bark ranging in clusters along branches. Like all in colour from copper brown to white. Larch trees, the needles turn yellow Alaska Paper Birch has adapted to reduce and fall off in autumn, making this a deciduous conifer. browsing by producing Bruce Bennett distasteful glands on its branches. Stefan Gottermann Lodgepole Pine Pinus contorta | Pine family Alnus incana | Birch family Speckled Alder Lodgepole is the only type of pine found Peter Long Of the two species of alder in Yukon. Its long needles are in pairs in Yukon, only Speckled Alder that resemble tweezers. The cones are reaches tree size. sealed shut, only opening with the intense heat of a forest fire.

32 Peter Long 33 Yukon Podistera (Podistera yukonensis) — Yukon hosts about 90% of the world’s population. Yukon Conservation Data Centre How you can help: You can contribute to our knowledge of Yukon’s flora by reporting your sightings of rare plants to the Yukon Conservation Data Centre. Visit env.gov.yk.ca/animals- habitat/cdc.php for information on how you can help. Who are we: The Yukon Conservation Data Centre (CDC) is a member of a network of data centres and Natural Heritage Programs around the world, coordinated by NatureServe International. What we do: The Yukon CDC gathers, maintains, and distributes information on animals, plants, and ecological communities at risk or of conservation concern in Yukon. Why do we do it? Accurate information about species and ecosystems at risk is essential to the effectively manage, conserve, and protect our natural resources. The Yukon CDC provides a central, reliable, and continually updated source for this information. For free distribution only.

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