Please do not remove any plant material from High Park. Some plants are rare and most are not fully understood. All need their flowers for seed and many need their foliage after flowering in order to survive. Some plants do not grow in conditions other than those in the park. Their growth and habits are being studied.

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Butterfly Weed, also known as Pleurisy Root is a beautiful native plant of tallgrass prairies. It has bright orange flowers and is the only milkweed that has alternate leaves and a colourless juice when the stem is broken. It is one of the top butterfly-attracting plants around. The Butterfly Weed prefers dry to average moisture conditions and is drought tolerant once established. Well drained soil is ideal and the plant can tolerate sand to clay soil and slightly acid to neutral conditions. It grows best in full sun to light shade.

GENUS: Milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae), 2,000 species of milkweed grow worldwide.

HABITAT: Prairies, meadows, dry fields and banks.

RANGE: New England to Minnesota south, s. Ontario, s. Maine.

LONGEVITY: Perennial.

FLOWERING: Mid-summer from June to September.

FEATURES: The Butterfly Weed plant has narrow, lance-shaped leaves that are 2-5" long and dark green. Its stems are hairy and its flowers are a showy orange in umbels. The plant can get quite bushy if left a lot of room.

FRUIT: Seedpod is quite large 4-5 inches or 10-12.5cm and is spindle-shaped).

HEIGHT: 1-3 feet or 30-90cm.

ECOLOGY: Many butterfly species and bees are attracted to the nectar of this plant. Milkweeds are larval host plants to the monarch butterfly and queen butterfly. Related species, Common Milkweed (A. syriaca); Whorled Milkweed (A. verticillata); Swamp milkweed (A. incarnate).

Johnson, Lorraine. (1999) 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants. Random House of Canada.

Newcomb, Lawrence. (1997). Newcomb’s Wild Flower Guide. Little, Brown & Company, Canada.

Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny, 1986. Peterson Field Guides Wildflowers North East/North Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

France Royer and Richard Dickson, 1999. Weeds of Canada and the Northern United States. The University of Alberta Press.

Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)

This is a graceful tall-growing plant has small yellow flowers in the summer and shiny golden bronze tassel-like seed heads in the fall. It grows well in full sun and average to dry moisture conditions and is drought tolerant. This grass also prefers sandy soil but can tolerate clay.

GENUS: Grass Family (Gramineae). This family is large and diverse with over 10,000 species ranging from small herbs to shrubs and trees.

HABITAT: Prairies, dry fields and along roadsides, often found growing with Big Blue Stem Grass (Andropogon gerardi).

RANGE: Prairies and northeast into Quebec and New England, dominant grass of the Ontario prairies.

LONGEVITY: Perennial.

FLOWERING: Late summer to fall; August-September.

FEATURES: This grass has tiny yellow flowers that have small bristles. The slender green leaves turn bronze in the fall, and the seed heads are a silky golden bronze tassels in the fall.

FRUIT: The latin name nutans meaning to nod was given to this grass because its mature golden-coloured seed heads often bend or droop under its own weight.

HEIGHT: 2 - 9ft or 60cm - 2.7m.

ECOLOGY: Indian Grass attracts birds that eat the seeds and it is also a very nutritious grass for livestock. This grass is a larval host to little wood satyr, great spangled fritillary butterfly and pepper and salt skipper. Indian Grass can be confused with Tall Oat Grass (Arrhenatherum elatius) but this plant is apparent in the spring and its colouring is green to purple to silver, never tan.

Brown, Lauren. (1979) Grasses An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York.

Johnson, Lorraine. (1999) 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants. Random House of Canada.

France Royer and Richard Dickson, 1999. Weeds of Canada and the Northern United States. The University of Alberta Press.

Tallgrass Ontario Fact Sheet #3, Ontario Tallgrass Prairie and Savanna Association "Identifying Tallgrass Prairie Species" copyright 2001.

Lupine (Lupinus perennis)

The blue lupine, which blooms May-June in High Park, is rare. It grows on dry sandy prairies, savannahs and dunes. The flower is blue (rarely white) and the leaf like the palm of a hand. The fruit is a bean covered in hair.

These Lupines, when sufficiently numerous, provide food for the larva of two extirpated butterflies, the Karner Blue and the Dusky Wing, and the endangered Frosted Elfin. The plant has a deep tap root, grows 40-60 cm. high and requires certain bacteria found in the soil in High Park. It does not transplant well and needs special conditions not usually found in gardens. Lupines respond positively to fire and are drought tolerant. The flower dies shortly after the bloom is picked.

GENUS: About 80 species in North America; 1 in Ontario.

ETYMOLOGY: L. lupus, wolf, in early days people observed lupine's tendency to colonize sterile areas and mistakenly concluded that these flowers had caused the nutrient depletion by "wolfing" all the nutrients; L. per, through, and annus, a year.

HABITAT: Dry sandy prairies, savannahs, and dunes.

RANGE: Central to eastern North America, as far south as Florida; in Ontario now restricted to the Carolinian zone. It had once ranged as far north-east as Rice Lake.

LONGEVITY: Perennial.

FLOWERING: Late spring to early summer.

FEATURES: Pastel through to dark blue pea-like (rarely white) flowers arranged on a spike; fragrant; Dark green palmately compound leaves that first appear with a tinge of purple colouring; often enhanced with silky or silvery hairs; Develops a deep tap root.

FRUIT: Bean.

HEIGHT: 40-60 cm.

ECOLOGY: Belongs to the Legume family of plants and develops a symbiotic relationship with certain bacteria to fix nitrogen. In exchange for fixed nitrogen (a basic plant nutrient) the plant offers the bacteria a suitable environment within root nodules as well as photosynthate (plant sugars and starches); Flowers are pollinated by native bumble bees and solitary bees; The foliage and flowers are consumed by the larval stage of three butterflies of note, the Karner Blue, the Dusky Wing, and the Frosted Elfin.

In Ontario, the first butterfly is endangered and actually became extirpated in 1991, the second became extirpated in 1987, and the third became endangered in 1988. (To become extirpated is to no longer be found within the political boundaries of a region).

The decline in the range of the host plant is the cause of the poor status of these insects. The plight of the Karner Blue has attracted a substantial amount of research. For instance, the Universities of Michigan State and Bowling Green State are researching the frequency of this butterfly in association with Blue Lupine metrics such as area/ perimeter ratios, distance to nearest patch, patch distribution patterns within a landscape, patch size and shape indices.

Work is also being conducted by Thomas Mason at the Metro Toronto Zoo. Arthur Beauregard of the Parks Department of the City of Toronto is a member of a province-wide working group.

NOTE: Historically Blue Lupine were very common on sandy sites. This plant responds positively to fire.

HORTICULTURE: Tolerates well drained sandy or gravelly soils; full sun; Avoid applying fertilizer and organic matter; Does not transplant well, therefore the best way to establish is by direct sowing seed. Has been observed blooming the year following transplanting/sowing.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Russell Hybrid Lupines (L. arboreus X L. polyphyllus); garden escapees; taller; prefer rich moist soils; flower colours cover the whole gamut.

Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W., and Lafontaine J.D. (1998).
The Butterflies of Canada.

NRC Research Press, Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information.

Specimen Plates by J.T. Fowler. Terry Fahey, 1999 Personal communication.

Zile Zichmanis and James Hodgins, 1982. Flowers of the Wild; Ontario and the Great Lakes Region. University of Toronto Press.

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Columbine often blooms in May, with almost neon bright red and yellow spurred flowers, followed by attractive seed cases. Lush flat green leaves continue long after flowering. Columbine likes partial shade and the poor sandy soils of the Park. Hummingbirds feed on the floral nectar.

GENUS: About 60 species; 1 in Ontario.

ETYMOLOGY: Possibly derived from L. aquila, eagle (flower's curved spurs resemble claws).

HABITAT: Dry woods, rocklands, peatlands.

RANGE: Throughout North America; throughout Ontario.

LONGEVITY: Perennial.

FLOWERING: Late spring to early summer.

FEATURES: Large nodding flowers; each petal a red tube with a yellow lip; separated by petal-like red sepals. New spring foliage is bronze coloured; foliage remains attractive well after flowering period has ended.

NOTE: Variations in plant height, leaf and flower, size, shape and colour, have been observed across the province. This may be a result of a physiological response to the local growing conditions (phenotype), or it may be a genetic characteristic (genotype).

FRUIT: Follicle.

HEIGHT: 50-100cm.

ECOLOGY: Hummingbirds feed on the floral nectar; Columbine Duskywing larvae feed upon the foliage.

HORTICULTURE: Partial shade; moist, well-drained sandy soil; does not do well in rich soil. The flower stems rise beyond the general height of the foliage. A very showy plant. Germinates readily from seed. Plants have been successfully maintained in medium to large containers for several growing seasons.

SIMILAR SPECIES: The foliage resembles that of Early Meadow-Rue (Thalictrum dioicum).

Gillian Smith, 2001. Personal communication.

Zile Zichmanis and James Hodgins, 1982. Flowers of the Wild; Ontario and the Great Lakes Region. University of Toronto Press.

Downy Wood Violet (Sand Violet Viola fimbriatula /sagittata)

The Northern Downey Violet grows close to the ground and is hard to find. Unlike the cultivated violet, found commonly on lawns and in gardens around High Park, this shy violet has uneven petals with tiny lines and long arrow-shaped leaves. It prefers dry woods and flowers early in spring.


GENUS: About 150 species in North America; in Ontario.

ETYMOLOGY: L. viola, the violet plant; L. fimbrix, border or fringe, referring to the pubescent foliage that resembles a fringe along the leaf borders when viewed in two dimensions, L. sagitta, an arrow, referring to the shape of the leaves

HABITAT: Dry woods, clearings, fields.

RANGE: Across the northern part of Central and Eastern North America; in Ontario across the central region.

LONGEVITY: Perennial

FLOWERING: Mid to late spring.

FEATURES: A small plant, barely visible in the spring when leaf litter cover is abundant. The solitary nodding flowers are violet/purple in colour, with even darker striated lines running longitudinally on the petals. Characteristic with all the violets is that the 5 petals of the corolla (showy part of the flower), are arranged in 2 unequal pairs above and a larger lower one, which is spurred. The ovate leaves sometimes develop deeply incised lobes at the base, lending to the proper name sagittata.

FRUIT: Capsule

HEIGHT: less than 5cm.

HORTICULTURE: Full sun to partial shade; Quite tolerant of drought once established; Will respond positively to added organic matter in the soil.

ECOLOGY: The larval stage of a group of butterflies known as the Fritillaries feed exclusively on violets; Most violets can produce seed without the process of fertilization, in fact without a flower.

This is an example of vegetative reproduction, and with violet the process is known as cleistogamy. Here seeds develop within what is described as a petal free, female flower. When mature this structure resembles the conventional seed capsule; Seed is dispersed physically as the capsule dehisces and collapses, and can be further disseminated by ants.

With most violets, this seed structure is produced at the soil level, and at a time when the conventional flowering period has ended.

NOTE: Many violets hybridize freely when growing near one another. In fact there are as many crosses, sub-species, and varieties of native North American species as there are true species. It is for this reason that many ecologists believe that in order for a Violet to retain its true genetic make-up, it must rely largely on cleistogamous seed.

SIMILAR SPECIES: The foliage of this species resembles that of young Heart Leaved Aster (Aster cordifolius), young Arrow-Leaved Aster (A. urophyllus), and young Sky Blue Aster (A. azureus/oolentangiensis). There are three species of violet in Ontario.

Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W., and Lafontaine J.D.(1998). The Butterflies of Canada. NRC

Research Press, Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information. Specimen Plates by J.T. Fowler.

Zile Zichmanis and James Hodgins, 1982. Flowers of the Wild; Ontario and the Great Lakes Region. University of Toronto Press.

Smooth Rose (Rosa blanda)

The smooth rose blooms in May. It prefers moist, open spaces and the white and pink blooms have an attractive fragrance.

GENUS: At least 200 species, although more than twice that number have been described. Found chiefly in the northern hemisphere; 5 in Ontario; The family Rosacea has close to 2,000 species, having representatives as annuals through to trees.

ETYMOLOGY: L. rosa for rose, the plant; L. blanda for mild or bland in reference to the scarcity of prickles.

HABITAT: Found in open woods, savanna, pastures, meadows, thickets, roadsides, sandy and clayed banks, rocky and gravely shores. Dry mesic soil conditions.

RANGE: Central to eastern North America; common from central Ontario southward.

LONGEVITY: Stoloniferous woody shrub.

FLOWERING: Red coloured flowers begin to bloom in early June. Flowers fade to white by the end of anthesis; Solitary; Pleasantly aromatic;

FEATURES: Typical of the rose genus is the grouping of five. Five petals, five lobed calyx, five leaflets per compound leaf (occasionally 7, rarely 9); Primarily a scattered collection of single woody shoots that arise from a sprawling stoloniferous root system. Almost thornless, in fact the thorns are better described as loosely spaced prickles. These prickles are absent on the flowering branches.

FRUIT: Fleshy hip containing achenes; May persist to winter.

NOTE: Three rose hips tend to contain as much vitamin C as one orange.

HEIGHT: Up to 1.5m.

ECOLOGY: The stoloniferous rooting system and the scattering of shoots allows this plant to readily maintain itself through episodes of fire and grazing damage. In this, there is a minimum of investment in secondary (diagonal) woody growth of the above ground shoots. Essentially a shrub that expresses characteristics of a perennial, only instead of dying back each autumn, it does so every couple of years; Insect pollinated; Gravity and animal dispersed seed.

HORTICULTURE: Pasture Rose (R. carolina) and Prairie Rose (R. setigera), both Ontario roses, were in the Empress Josephine's famous Gardens of Malmaison; The Morton Experimental Station in Manitoba is crossing exotic multi-petal roses with Western Prairie Rose (R. arkansana) in order to make the next generation more cold hardy, more fragrant, and more Black Spot resistant.

NOTE: Attar, an oil from rose petals, is used to make eau de toilet and perfume (re. rose water)

SIMILAR SPECIES: Hybrids and intermediates of Ontario's native roses do occur; Pasture Rose can be found growing with Smooth Rose in Southern Ontario. It differs in having two sizes of spines, the largest of which are borne at the leaf axils.

References

• Zile Zichmanis and James Hodgins, 1982. Flowers of the Wild, Ontario and the Great Lakes Region. University of Toronto Press.
• La Semaine Verte. January 2001. CBC Telecommunications
• Soper, J. and Heimburger, M. 1982. Shrubs of Ontario.
• A Life Sciences Miscellaneous Publication from the Royal Ontario Museum

Sky Blue Aster (Aster oolentangiensis/azureus)

GENUS: About 250 species; more than 30 in Ontario.

ETYMOLOGY: Gr. aster, star (referring to the flower shape).

HABITAT: Dry to mesic prairies; open woods

RANGE: Central to Eastern North America; southern Ontario.

LONGEVITY: Perennial.

FLOWERING: Summer through to autumn.

FEATURES: Green-blue arrow shaped basal (borne at the base of the plant) leaves. Stem leaves are sessile (attached to the stem without a stalk or petiole) and are much reduced. Leaf edges are entire (smooth) or sparsely toothed (A); rays bright blue or violet; floral bracts smooth.

FRUIT: Achene (a dry, one-seeded fruit).

HEIGHT: 30- 100cm.

ECOLOGY: A single aster "flower head" is in fact an orderly composition/collection of individual flowers (florets), all being one of two types. The first, which are arranged around the perimeter of the "flower head", are called the ray florets. The ray florets tend to develop one relatively large petal. These florets are generally infertile or else pistillate (male). The other type of floret is the disk floret. These invariably occupy the centre of the "flower head". These are generally fertile (perfect) or else staminate (female). Because of this floret composition, the asters belong to the Composite family of plants.

HORTICULTURE: Dry soils; full sun, but will tolerate partial shade when grown in dry soils. Can be grown in large pots or raised beds for several years.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Large-leaved Aster (A. macrophyllus) and Heart-leaved Aster (A. cordifolius) produce similar flowers: Large-leaved Aster produces relatively large and heart-shaped basal leaves. Stem leaves are sessile. Both series of leaves are serrated (saw-toothed and pointing forward) (B): Heart-leaved Aster produces cordate (heart shaped) basal leaves. Stem leaves are petiolate and decrease in size upwards on the stem. All foliage has incised margins (cut by sharp and irregular incisions more or less deeply) (C). Both species prefer dappled and semi-shaded sites.

NOTE: The asters hybridize readily thereby making identification a challenging task.

.

New England Aster Aster novae-angliae

GENUS: About 250 species; more than 30 in Ontario.

ETYMOLOGY: Gr. aster, star (referring to flower shape); novus, new; Anglus, English.

HABITAT: Dry to moist well-drained soil; abandoned fields, meadows, disturbed ground.

RANGE: Central to eastern North America; in Ontario north to mid-northern deciduous-evergreen forest.

LONGEVITY: Perennial.

FLOWERING: Late summer to mid-autumn.

FEATURES: Numerous heads in large clusters; ray florets dark pink to purple blue (ray florets rarely white); disks yellow to orange yellow.

FRUIT: Achene.

HEIGHT: 30-200cm.

ECOLOGY: Seeds are eaten by grouse, tree sparrow, chipmunks, and mice. Grouse, deer, moose, and rabbits eat the leaves; A group of butterflies known as the Checkerspots and a larger group known as the Crescents rely on the asters as a food source for both the adult and larva stage.

HORTICULTURE: Variants have been cultivated and are marketed as Michaelmas Daisy; Full sun; well drained soils. Cutting plants back in mid-summer will produce bushy plants. May develop mildew problems if the plant is crowded and not getting enough air circulation, in which case, divide the plant.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Purple-stemmed Aster (A. puniceus): pale blue flowers; toothed leaves; pubescent, purple, and crooked stem; less pubescent foliage; moist prairie to wet habitat.

Clarke, Sue. (2001). Personal communication.

Johnson, Lorraine. (1999) 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants. Random House of Canada.

Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W., and Lafontaine J.D.(1998). The Butterflies of Canada. NRC

Research Press, Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information. Plates by J.T. Fowler.

Semple, John, Stephen Heard, and Chun Sheng Xiang (1996). The Asters of Ontario. University of Waterloo.

Smith, Gillian. (2001). Personal communication.

Zile Zichmanis and James Hodgins, 1982. Flowers of the Wild; Ontario and the Great Lakes Region. University of Toronto Press.

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)

GENUS: Sassafras albidum is the only species of the genus Sassafras in North America.

It belongs to the Lauraceae family that is mainly tropical and subtropical. Other members of this family are Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), which is found in Ontario, Cinnamon Tree (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Camphor Tree (C. camphora), Sweet Bay (Laurus nobilis), and Avocado (Persea americana).

ETYMOLOGY: Sassafras - the popular name used by early French settlers in Florida; adopted as the botanical name; albidum L. white.

HABITAT: It occurs on nearly all soil types within its range, but is best developed on moist, well-drained sandy loams in open woodlands

RANGE: Sassafras is native throughout most of the East, South and Mid-West of North America. Restricted to the Deciduous Forest Region of Ontario and not found north of Toronto.

LONGEVITY: Perennial; Deciduous; Is known to reproduce vegetatively therefore a colony of clones can represent an individual predecessor. The colony itself may be much older than the current oldest individual stem.

FLOWERING: Small flowers appear before the leaves in the early spring, which make trees look like clouds of gold when viewed against a dark background. Most individual trees are either male or female (dioecious).

FEATURES: The sympodial, candelabra-like branching structure forms graceful horizontal layers, like some of the dogwoods (lateral twigs from current buds initially outgrow the terminal shoot). A very intriguing winter silhouette results from the branching habit; The bark of young stems is light green. That of older stems is deeply furrowed, or irregularly broken into broad, flat ridges; The leaves are smooth, sweetly fragrant when crushed and 7 to 18 cm(3-7 in) long. The variety of leaf shapes to be found on one individual is a distinctive trait of this species. Leaves can be entire, one-lobed, or two-lobed. This trait lends to the common name Mitten Tree. The leaves are bright yellow-green in spring, maturing to a blue-green in summer and turning brilliant shades of red, gold, orange or purple in the autumn; All parts of the tree are pleasantly aromatic. In fact it is difficult for one to keep from "scratching and sniffing" this tree.

FRUIT: The female bears lustrous dark blue fruit on bright scarlet stalks in late summer (reminiscent of golf ball on tee). Drupe (a fleshy fruit whose seed is enclosed in a stony endocarp like a cherry). Good seed crops are produced in alternate years. Ripe fruit has been found to taste like hand soap.

HEIGHT: Single stemmed specimens growing under favourable conditions can reach dimensions of over 18m(60 ft) in height and 100 cm(3 ft) in diameter. The largest specimen is 23m(76ft) tall and 2m(6 ft, 8 in) in diameter. Still others top 30m(100ft) in height. More frequently it is found as a small tree.

CULTURE: Sassafras requires full sun for best growth; It is difficult to transplant. Container grown seed or seedlings are recommended; It is intolerant of road salt and ozone pollution; Root suckering (i.e. clonal colony) is prevalent in Sassafras. It is less likely to send up suckers if its roots and stems are not damaged or disturbed.

NOTE: Sassafras is allelopathic and can discourage the growth of certain other plants within its root zone.

ECOLOGY: Sassafras is a fire adapted species. It is quite resilient to such disturbance, and post- fire regeneration occurs in several forms or strategies; adventitious buds at root crowns (suckering), ground residual colonizer (i.e. existing seed bank), initial offsite colonizer (i.e. seed dispersal), and crown residual colonizer (remaining undamaged stems); Sassafras can also be found in late serial stages of succession. It can maintain a presence in climax forest stands in the canopy layer by gap phase regeneration. It has been found that by maintaining a presence in the shrub layer as stunted individuals, viable ramets (roots) of existing individual trees, seedlings or seed bank, this tree is able to exploit canopy gaps when such occasions are created; The ripe fruit are sought by squirrels and many birds (bluebirds, catbirds, vireos and quail). These same animals are the disseminating vectors; Sassafras also serves as a host plant for one of our most spectacular butterflies, the colourful Spicebush Swallowtail.

SIMILAR SPECIES: None.

NOTE: First Nations peoples utilize Sassafras in flavouring foods and in herbal remedies. The roots are used to provide root beer flavour. It is also an important ingredient in Cajun and Creole gumbos. The filé powder used in this cooking is in fact a culinary creation of the Choctaw Indians native to Louisiana. Gumbo is the derivative of Kombo, the Choctaw word for Sassafras; Sassafras oil is extracted from the root bark for use by the perfume industry, primarily for scenting soaps. It is also used as an antiseptic; The wood is very durable, and was once used for dugout canoes.

Baur, Dagmar. 2000. Personal communication.

Brills, Steven. 1994. Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and not so wild) Places. New York; Hearst Books, p.221 Dirr, Michael. 1983. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing Company

Layberry, Ross, and Peter Hall, and Donald Lafontaine.1998. The Butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press.

Soper, James and Margaret Heimburger. 1982. Shrubs of Ontario. Royal Ontario Museum.

Sternburg, Guy and Jim Wilson. 1995. Landscaping with Native Trees. Chapters Publishing

Walter, Eugene. American Cooking Southern Style/ Foods of the World, Time Life Books, United States Department of Agriculture. 1998. Forest Science. Fire Effects Information System.

Round-headed Bush Clover Lespedeza capitata

GENUS: About 12 species native to North America, an equal number of hybrids and variants; 4 in Ontario.

ETYMOLOGY: The name Lespedeza is from the Spanish governor of 18th century Florida, Cespedez, although apparently the name was mis-spelled as Lespedeza; L. capitata, in heads, referring to the seed heads.

HABITAT: Found in sand dunes, dry fields, open sandy woods and even roadsides.

RANGE: Mid-western and eastern prairies and savannahs; through much of Southern Ontario.

LONGEVITY: Perennial.

FLOWERING: Early to late summer.

FEATURES: It has a simple, sometimes branched stem with numerous three part leaves crowding it. The entire plant is covered with a fine, silvery hair. In plant taxonomy, the term pubescent is used to describe silvery hair. Plants common to prairie ecosystems often exhibit a pubescent character. It is thought that this character is a means to decrease the amount of transpiration and therefore keep plants from succumbing to drought stress; There are numerous small, creamy white flowers (occasionally with pink hues) occurring in tight, round heads near the top of the stems. As the seeds ripen, the heads remain quite showy, turning a reddish-brown, and remaining as such into winter. Like many of the Violets, members of the Lespedeza can have two types of flowers. Showy flowers that are open to pollinators (chasmogamous) and greatly reduced, closed and self-pollinating (cleistogamous) flowers.

FRUIT: A small bean housed individually in a small envelope. Not shed until winter.

HEIGHT: Up to 1 m.

ECOLOGY: It is a member of the Legume family, and has the ability to produce nitrogen symbiotically; The seeds are an excellent source of food for many gamebirds, songbirds and rodents; The foliage is often consumed by herbivores such as deer, although continued or heavy grazing can cause this species to decline.

NOTE: Some of the First Nations made a beverage from the leaves of this species. Others used various parts to combat rheumatism, neuralgia or poisons that have been swallowed.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Hairy Bush Clover, L. hirta, similar range and habitat, rounded leaflets, less compact flower heads.

Woodliffe, Allen. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources 2000. In Bluestem Banner Volume 2, Issue 1. Ontario Tallgrass Prairie and Savannah Association.

Northern Prairie Research Group. www.npwrc.usgs.gov

Zile Zichmanis and James Hodgins, 1982. Flowers of the Wild; Ontario and the Great Lakes Region. University of Toronto Press.

Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii

GENUS: 80 species in North America; 2 in Ontario.

ETYMOLOGY: Gr. andros, man, pogon, beard.

HABITAT: Dry sand plains or morainic hills; Moist through to dry prairies.

RANGE: Throughout central and western plains of North America (most prominent in eastern part of range); In Ontario primarily upon sedimentary southern, central, and western regions. 1 disjunct population in extreme northern Ontario.

LONGEVITY: Perennial.

FLOWERING: August to September.

FEATURES: A stout clump-forming grass; Foliage is long, glaucous, and generally blue-green in colour, especially at or near the stalk. Foliage turns a red-bronze colour following autumn frosts; The inflorescence has 2-7 distinct racemes.

FRUIT: Grain.

NOTE: Big Bluestem, like all other grasses, is a monocot, that is the seed is of one part (seed is observed as being unsymmetrical).

HEIGHT: 1-2.5m.

ECOLOGY: Is a major constituent of the tallgrass prairies of Southwestern Ontario, the Rice Lake Plains of Central Ontario, and southern Manitoba. Prairies are a natural community type in North America which are dominated by herbaceous plants; grasses, sedges and forbs (wildflowers). Prairies with greater than 10% tree cover (as in the case with High Park) are classified as savannah. Tallgrass prairies are Ontario's most endangered landscape; less than 3% of the pre-settlement extent of prairie and savannah remains. A combination of factors and processes is responsible for the maintenance of tallgrass prairies and savannahs; substrate, landscape type, climate, geographic location, grazing, and fire. The first three factors affect the growing conditions. In this case prairies develop best on droughty sites. In Ontario, fire is considered the main driving force behind the persistence of these ecosystems. Plants endemic to these systems have developed strategies to avoid fire damage, strategies to promote fire, and strategies to establish following fire. Fire also prevents the establishment of non-prairie type plant communities. The natural fire frequency in tallgrass communities in Ontario varies between 5-20 years. HORTICULTURE: Will take to any garden soil. Full sun to partial shade. Will add a bold look to garden. The large tufts or clumps are a feature in the dormant season.

NOTE: The common name of Turkey Foot is derived from the arrangement of the racemes on the inflorescence.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Broomsedge (A. virginicus) found growing in similar habitats, however in extreme southern Ontario; anatomy differing in only minute detail. Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) has similar foliage and growth habit; distinguished by inflorescence. Also found in similar habitat.

Lindsay Rodger, 1998. Tallgrass Communities of Southern Ontario: A Recovery Plan. World Wildlife Fund Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Zile Zichmanis and James Hodgins, 1982. Flowers of the Wild; Ontario and the Great Lakes Region. University of Toronto Press.