INaturalist Biol3660 2019 Field Botany and Ecology Observations

INaturalist observation #14.
Family: Rosaceae – Rose family
Genus: Potentilla L. – cinquefoil
Species: Potentilla glandulosa Lindl. – sticky cinquefoil
Subspecies: Potentilla glandulosa Lindl. ssp. pseudorupestris (Rydb.) D.D. Keck – sticky cinquefoil

Potentilla glandulosa Lindly: Perennial herb with glandular-pubescent shoots 15-30 cm high, from a scaly rootstock; leaves mainly basal, the 5-9 leaflets mostly obovate, cuneate at base, coarsely serrate, glandular and somewhat hairy, flowers 1.5-2 cm broad on slender stalks; petals whitish or yelllow, much longer than the sepals. 2n=14. ssp. pseudorupestris. Montane woods to shaly alpine slopes (Flora of AB).

Perennial from a mostly branched caudex. Stems erect to ascending, hirsute and glandular-pubescent, 10–70 cm. Leaf blades oblanceolate, pinnately divided into 5 to 7 obovate to suborbicular, glandular, dentate leaflets, 6–60 mm long. Inflorescence a glandular cyme with spreading to ascending branches. Flowers: sepals lanceolate, 4–7 mm long; bracteoles shorter than the sepals; petals 5–10 mm long. Achenes smooth, <1 mm long. Rocky soil of open forest, grasslands, meadows, outcrops; valleys to alpine.

Lesica (2012) treats this species in Drymocallis and indicates three subspecies for Montana: subsp. glabrata (Rydb.) Sojak;
subsp. glandulosa; and subsp. pseudorupestris (Rydb.) Sojak. (Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Montane Subregion / Rocky Mountain Region. North of Ohagen road, west of Castle Falls road and northwest of 774. Adjacent the Crowsnest river. Mixed decidous and coniferous forest, clearing along the high water mark of the river. Northwest facing slope, 5%. Orthic black chernozems soils and fluvial gravels and cobbles. Subhygric soils. Shaded understorey. Plant community: Pinus contorta, spruce spp., Fabaceae spp., Potentiall spp., Violaceae spp.

INaturalist observation 14.
Family: Violaceae – Violet family
Genus: Viola L. – violet
Species: Viola canadensis L. – Canadian white violet

Viola canadensis L. / Wester Canada Violet: Plant 1-4 dm tall from an ascending rootstock, which also produces underground stolons, these ending in slender crowns; leaves mosly long-petioled, ovate to reniform, cordate, abruptly acuminate or acute, coarsely crenate, puberulent to nearly glabrous, somewhat rugulose; stipules scarious; flowers from axils of upper leaves; petals 8-12 mm long, white to violet, yellow at base; capsule ovoid; seeds brown, 1.5-22mm long. 2n=24. Moist woods and meadows.

Plants glabrous to puberulent, stoloniferous. Stems 8–40 cm. Leaf blades 5–8 cm long, broadly cordate to reniform with crenulate margins and pointed tips; stipules attenuate-lanceolate, 8–16 mm long. Flowers white, fading to blue, 10–15 mm long; petals yellow at the base, the lower with purple lines, lateral pair bearded; spur ca. 2 mm long; style with sparse long hairs. Capsule 5–8 mm long. Moist to wet forest, thickets, often with deciduous trees along streams, wetlands; plains, valleys, montane.

Montane Subregion / Rocky Mountain Region. North of Ohagen road, west of Castle Falls road and northwest of 774. Mixed decidous and coniferous forest. South facing slope, 5%. Brunisolic soils. Subhygric soils. Shaded understorey. Plant community: Pinus contorta, spruce spp., valeriana sitchensis, Angelica dawsonii, Veronica serypyllifolia, Lonicera involucrata, orchidacea spp.

INaturalist observation #11:
Family: Liliaceae – Lily family
Genus: Maianthemum F.H. Wigg. – mayflower
Species: Maianthemum racemosum (L.) Link – feathery false lily of the valley

Smilacina racemosa (L.) Desf. / False Solon's seal: Rhizome thick, fleshy, stem 3-10 dm tall, erect or ascending, slighlty zig-zag, more or less puberulent; leaves usually 5-12 on the stem, ovate to broadly lanceolate, acute or short-acuminate, 5-15 cm long, 4-8 cm wide, sessile wor with vary short petioles; panicle ovoid or pyramindal, 5-15 cm long, many-flowered; sepals and petals 1.5-3mm long, linear to spatulate, usually white, exceeded by the stames; berries red, often dotted with purple. 2n=36,72. Damp woods and thickets.

Stems 20–80 cm. Leaves 7–15 cm long. Inflorescence a branched, pyramidal panicle with numerous flowers. Flowers: tepals 1–1.5 mm long; filaments petal-like, longer than the tepals. Berry red, 4–8 mm long. Open forest, thickets, woodlands, avalanche slopes; plains, valleys to lower subalpine.

Montane Subregion / Rocky Mountain Region. Oldman watershed, South Saskatchewan Basin. North of Ohagen road, west of Castle Falls road and northwest of 774. Mixed decidous and coniferous forest. Northwest facing slope, 15%. Brunisolic soils. Subhygric soils. Shaded understorey. Plant community: Pinus contorta, spruce spp., valeriana sitchensis, Angelica dawsonii, Veronica serypyllifolia, Lonicera involucrata, orchidacea spp.

Inaturalist observation # 9:
Family: Orchidaceae – Orchid family
Genus: Corallorhiza Gagnebin, orth. cons. – coralroot
Species: Corallorhiza trifida Chatelain – yellow coralroot

Corallorhiza trifida Chatelain / Pale Coral-root: Scape (with raceme), 1-3 dm high, slender, yellowish; raceme 2-7 cm long, 3-12 flowered; sepals and petals about 5 mm long, linear, yellowish white to dull purple or greensih; lip slightly shorter than the petals; white, sometimes dotted with red or purple, oblong, usually with a small tooth on each side near the base and 2 short ridges on the face; spur adnate to the ovary and not noticeable. 2n=42. Thickets, woods, and bogs.

Stems pale yellow, 5–25 cm. Inflorescence with 4 to 12 flowers; bracts 0.5–1.5 mm long. Flowers: sepals and upper petals 4–7 mm long, cupped forward, yellow to white; lip petal 3–5 mm long, white with obscure basal lobes. Capsule 6–11 mm long. Moist forest, thickets, under shrubs in fens, often with moss or along streams;
valleys, montane.

Montane Subregion / Rocky Mountain Region. North of Ohagen road, west of Castle Falls road and northwest of 774. Mixed decidous and coniferous forest. South facing slope, 5%. Brunisolic soils. Subhygric soils. Shaded understorey. Plant community: Pinus contorta, spruce spp., valeriana sitchensis, Angelica dawsonii, Veronica serypyllifolia, Lonicera involucrata, orchidacea spp.

INaturalist observation # 12.
Family: Scrophulariaceae – Figwort family
Genus: Penstemon Schmidel – beardtongue
Species: Penstemon albertinus Greene – Alberta beardtongue

Penstemon albertinus Greene: Stems about 2 dm high, glabrous to slightly glandular in the inflorescence; basal leaves rhombic-ovate to broadly spatulate; stems-leaves elliptic-ovate to lanceolate, subsessile, entire or sharply denticulate; clayx somewhat glandular, 3-5 mm long, the lobes acute, only slightly scarious-margined below; corolla light blue, 12-20 mm long. 2n=16. Dry open montane and subalpine slopes.

Stems ascending to erect, 10–40 cm. Herbage glabrous. Basal leaf blades lanceolate to narrowly ovate, entire to weakly serrate, 1–4 cm long. Stem leaves narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, entire to weakly serrate, 15–45 mm long. Inflorescence with 3 to 8 open verticillasters, glabrous to weakly glandular. Flowers: calyx 3–5 mm long; sepals ovate, acute to acuminate, barely scarious-margined; corolla blue, 12–18 mm long, glabrous to glandular; anthers glabrous, opening across their full length. Capsule 3–6 mm long. Grasslands, rock outcrops, dry, open forest; valleys to lower subalpine.

Montane Subregion / Rocky Mountain Region. North of Ohagen road, west of Castle Falls road and northwest of 774. Mixed decidous and coniferous forest. South facing slope, 5%. Brunisolic soils. Subhygric soils. Shaded understorey. Plant community: Pinus contorta, spruce spp., valeriana sitchensis, Angelica dawsonii, Veronica serypyllifolia, Lonicera involucrata, orchidacea spp.

INaturalist observation # 15:
Family: Cactaceae – Cactus family
Genus: Opuntia Mill. – pricklypear
Species: Opuntia polyacantha Haw. – plains pricklypear

Opuntia polyacantha Haw: stems prostrate, forming mats or clumps, the segments orbicular, 5-12cm long, strongly flattened, about 1 cm thick; areoles of mature segments about 1 cm apart, almost all armed with 5-9 straight spines; flowers bright yellow, fading to bronze tints, 4-7cm board. 2n=22,44,66. Priarie grassland and denuded areas.

Stems prostrate to ascending; segments flattened, obovate, 4–12 cm long. Spines yellow-brown, 5 to 11 per areole, 1–4 cm long. Flowers with tepals 25–35 mm long. Fruit tan to brown, 15–45 mm long (Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Mixed grass subregion. West of Lethbridge College within Six-mile coulee, in the dry arid coulees of the City of Lethbridge. West facing slope 20%. Orthic dark brown chernozemic soils of medium textured mineral material. Soil profile of Ah/Bm/Ck. Plant community: Stipa comata, Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa curtiseta, Fabaceae spp.

INaturalist observation #16:
Family: Campanulaceae – Bellflower family
Genus: Campanula L. – bellflower
Species: Campanula rotundifolia L. – bluebell bellflower

Harebell: Stems slender, 2-4dm high; lowest leaves( Early withering and seldom present on flowering stems) long-stalked, with ovate or ovate-cordate blades, mostly toothed; cauline leaves numerous, linear to linear-lanceolate, smooth flowers usually several, on slender stalks in a loose cluster; calyx-lobes awl-shaped corolla purplish blue or rarely white, 15-25mm long. 2n = 34, 8*, 102. Dry meadows, hillsides, and open woods to alpine elevations (Flora of AB).

Plants from slender caudex branches. Stems ascending to erect, simple, 6–60 cm. Herbage glabrous. Basal leaves long-petiolate; blades ovate to orbicular, weakly dentate, 5–25 mm long, usually withered. Stem leaves becoming linear and sessile above, 1–7 cm long. Inflorescence a terminal, few-flowered raceme. Flowers nodding; sepals narrowly lanceolate, 3–12 mm long, erect; corolla campanulate, 10–25 mm long; style ca. as long as the corolla; stigmas 3 (2 to 4). Capsule nodding, 3–6 mm long (Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Mixed grass subregion, northeast of the University of Lethbridge, in the dry arid coulees of the City of Lethbridge. West facing slope, 20%. Orthic dark brown chernozemic soils of medium textured mineral material. Soil profile of Ah/Bm/Ck. Plant community: Stipa comata, Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa curtiseta, Fabaceae spp.

INaturalist observation #17:
Family: Fabaceae ⁄ Leguminosae – Pea family
Genus: Glycyrrhiza L. – licorice
Species: Glycyrrhiza lepidota Pursh – American licorice

Wild Licorice: Coarse perennial herb with deep-seated rootstocks and erect stems, 3-10 dm high; leaflets 11-19, lanceolate, 2-4 cm long, mucronate at apex, entire, glandular dotted; racemes erect, dense, 3-4 cm long, the peduncles shorter than the subtending leaves; flowers yellowish white, about 12 mm long; pods bur-like, oblong, 1-2 cm long, reddish brown, densely beset with hooked prickles; seeds 3-5, large, 4mm long. 2n+16. Moist prairies and shores.

Rhizomatous, perennial herb. Roots woody, aromatic. Stems erect, 30–120 cm, little branched. Herbage pubescent, punctate-glandular, sometimes with stalked glands; stipules small, deciduous. Leaves odd-pinnate with 7 to 15 lanceolate leaflets, 1–4 cm long with acute tips. Inflorescence a dense, spike-like, bracteate, pedunculate raceme, 1–6 cm long, as high as the subtending leaves. Flowers papilionaceous, dull white, calyx tube 3–4 mm long; sepals 2–4 mm long; banner moderately erect, 9–12 mm long; keel 7–11 mm long, as long as the wings; stamens 9 united, 1 separate. Fruit an ellipsoid legume, 1–2 cm long, covered with hooked bristles 2–3 mm long; seeds numerous (Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Mixed grass subregion, Grassland natural region. Oldman watershed, South Saskatchewan basin. Northeast of the University of Lethbridge, in the dry arid coulees of the City of Lethbridge. East facing slope, 25%. Orthic dark brown chernozemic soils of medium textured mineral material. Soil profile of Ah/Bm/Ck. Plant community: Stipa comata, Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa curtiseta, Fabaceae spp.

INaturalist observation #18:
Fragrant Evening Primrose:
Family: Onagraceae – Evening Primrose family
Genus: Oenothera L. – evening primrose
Species: Oenothera caespitosa Nutt. – tufted evening primrose, Fragrant Evening Primrose

Oenothera caespitosa Nutt. / Butte Primrose; Rock Rose: Caespitose perennial with a thick woody rooth, acaulescent or nearly so; leaves clustered, 1-2 dm long, oblanceolate, glabrous or pubescent on the margins, clustered, 1-2 dm long, oblanceolate, glabrous or pubescent on the margins, usually sinuate-dentate; flowers sessile in the crown of the plant, strongly sweet scented; hypanthium-tube 3-10 cm long; petals 2-4 cm long, white on opening, soon turning pinkish; capsule about 2.5 cm long, woody, with 4 wavy-crested angles, sometimes tubercled. 2n=14.

Acaulescent perennial with a simple or branched caudex surmounting a taproot. Herbage strigose. Leaves oblanceolate, 2–15 cm long with entire to serrate margins. Flowers white, opening at night, turning pink the following morning; hypanthium 2–8 cm long; sepals 1–3 cm long; petals 15–35 mm long; stigma lobes 3–6 mm long. Capsule erect, narrowly ovoid to ellipsoid, 12–40 mm long, woody, vaguely 4-angled, usually bumpy, sometimes pedicellate, often partly below ground. Habitat: Sandy or clay, usually sparsely-vegetated soil of open slopes, badlands, sandhills, roadsides; plains, valleys to subalpine.
This specimen was found within the Mixed Grass Subregion of the Grassland Natural Region, and Oldman watershed of the South Saskatchewan Basin. Northeastern coulee boundary of Indian Battle Park, in the dry arid coulees of the City of Lethbridge. North of the railway bridge, northeast of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre, northeast of Coalbanks walking trail. Southwest facing slope >45%. Orthic dark brown chernozemic to orthic regosolic soils of medium textured mineral material. Soil profile of Ah/Bm/Ck, this area has exposed Ck horizon soils of high clay content due to erosion. Abundant gravels, cobbles, and exposed sandstone bedrock. Alberta soil information viewer polygon 6282 (ZDL1/DL), disturbed land, miscellaneous undifferentiated mineral soils. Evidence of frequent soil erosion from surface water runoff.
Plant community: Stipa comata, Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa curtiseta, Fabaceae spp, Silene csereii and Musineon divaricatum.

INaturalist observation #19:
Family: Fabaceae ⁄ Leguminosae – Pea family
Genus: Pediomelum Rydb. – Indian breadroot
Species: Pediomelum esculentum (Pursh) Rydb. – large Indian breadroot

Indian Breadroot: Low, bushy herb with a strong taproot, often greatly enlarged as a tuber-like body a few inches below the ground level; stem erect, 1-3 dm high, hirsute; leaflets 5, digitate, obovate to elliptic, 2 – 6 cm long, glabrous above, hair beneath, not glandular-dotted; flowers in a dense thick spike, 2-8cm long; calyx hirsute, non-glandular; corolla bluish purple, 12-15mm long; pod ovoid, long-beaked, membranous, rupturing about the middle; seed brown, flattened about 5mm wide. 2n= 22. Prairies and dry bank.

Stems 4–20 cm, from a tuberous, swollen root. Herbage hirsute; upper leaflet surfaces glabrate; stems densely spreading hairy. Leaflets 5, narrowly elliptic, 2–4 cm long. Stipules lanceolate, 3–8 mm long. Racemes 5–12 cm long including the peduncle, longer than the subtending leaves. Flowers blue fading to dull white, 14–18 mm long; calyx densely hirsute; sepals 5–7 mm long. Legume glabrate, 5–7 mm long; the beak 1–2 cm long (Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Mixed grass subregion, northeast of the University of Lethbridge, in the dry arid coulees of the City of Lethbridge. East facing slope, 25%. Orthic dark brown chernozemic soils of medium textured mineral material. Soil profile of Ah/Bm/Ck. Plant community: Stipa comata, Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa curtiseta, Fabaceae spp.

INaturalist observation #20:
Family: Fabaceae ⁄ Leguminosae – Pea family
Genus: Vicia L. – vetch
Species: Vicia cracca L. – bird vetch

Tufted vetch: Perennial, the stems weak, climbing or trailing, 4-10 dm long, glabrous or pubescent; leaflets 10-20, linear to narrowly oblong, 1-3 cm long, mucronate; racemes long-peduncled, mostly surpassing the leaves; flowers bluish purple, 9-13 mm long, numerous, crowded, second, usually reflexed. 2n=14,28. Roadsides, waste ground, fields. Introduced. Occasional.

Rhizomatous perennial. Stems clambering or climbing, 50–100 cm. Herbage glabrate to strigose. Leaves with a branched tendril; the 12 to 18 leaflets linear, 15–20 mm long; stipules toothed to entire, 7–15 mm long. Racemes secund, dense with 20 to 70 flowers. Flowers violet, 10–15 mm long; calyx strigose; sepals deltoid to lanceolate, 0.5–2 mm long, the upper shorter. Legume stipitate, oblong, 15–20 mm long (Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Mixed grass subregion. West of Lethbridge College within Six-mile coulee, in the dry arid coulees of the City of Lethbridge. Southwest facing slope 20%. Orthic dark brown chernozemic soils of medium textured mineral material. Soil profile of Ah/Bm/Ck. Plant community: Stipa comata, Bouteloua gracilis, Hesperostipa curtiseta, Fabaceae spp.