Wildflowers in the Assiniboine Forest

These are some of the wildflowers found in the Assiniboine Forest. Clovers and certain others are listed under Prairie Floor.  Those with less attractive flowers are usually listed under Weeds, and still more flowering plants are shown on other pages.

Technically, not everything on this page is a wildflower - some may be cultivars that have found their way into the forest.  To a large extent, plants with similar flowers are grouped together for ease of comparison.  

Bold Italic headings indicate species not listed on the Habitat Site Report.  

Simply Stunning
Yellow and Tall
Asters and Fleabanes
Violet and Blue Flowers
Yellow and Short
Milkweeds
Other Wildflowers

     Unidentified

Click on Images to Enlarge

Simply Stunning

Bottle Gentian

Gentiana andrewsii
Native Perennial, also known as Closed Gentian, Blue Gentian





One of the beauties of the forest, when the flowers appear in August.



Fringed Gentian

Gentianella crinita OR Gentianopsis crinita
Native Biennial, also known as Greater Fringed Gentian


Close-Up


Wild Bergamot

Monarda fistulosa
Native Perennial, also known as Bee Balm

A member of the Mint family, Wild Bergamot is sometimes used for making tea.

Meadow Blazing Star

Liatris ligulistylis
Native Perennial, also known as Northern Plains Blazing Star





At a distance, Meadow Blazing Star can be mistaken for Wild Bergamot.

Three-Flowered Avens

Geum triflorum
Native Perennial, also known as Three Sisters, Prairie Smoke, Old Man's Whiskers, Torchflower, Lion's Beard

Three-Flowered Avens, with a Dandelion trying to steal the show




Yellow and Tall

Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Annual, sometimes Biennial or Perennial, also known as Yellow Coneflower, Brown Betty, Gloriosa Daisy, Yellow Jerusalem




This small plant was baffling until I discovered that it is a stunted Black-Eyed Susan.

Close-Up

Blanket Flower

Gaillardia aristata
Native Perennial, also known as Great-Flowered Gaillardia, Common Gallardia


Upright Prairie Coneflower

Ratibida columnifera
Native Perennial, also known as Long-Headed Coneflower, Mexican Hat


This drooping flower is also known as Long-Headed Coneflower.

Jerusalem Artichoke

 Helianthus tuberosus
Introduced Perennial, also known as Wild Sunflower, Sunroot, Sunchoke, Earth Apple
 
 
 
 
 



Narrow-Leaved Sunflower

Helianthus maximiliani
Native Perennial, also known as Maximilian Sunflower


Ox-Eye

Heliopsis helianthoides
Native Perennial, also known as False Sunflower

Ox-Eye grows to 16" to 59" in height.  This is a shorter specimen.


Nodding Beggarticks

Bidens cernua
Native Annual, also known as Stick-tight, Smooth Beggarticks, Nodding Bur-Marigold

Common Beggarticks

Bidens frondosa
Native Annual, also known as Devil's Beggarticks


Beggarticks are regarded as weeds, but are included here because of their similarity to other wildflowers.

Common Tansy

Tanacetum vulgare
Introduced Perennial, also known as Bitter Buttons, Golden Buttons


Asters and Fleabanes

Fleabanes are in the Aster family.  You can recognize a Fleabane because it has narrower petals than an Aster, and many more of them.

Big-Leafed Aster

Eurybia macrophylla
Native Perennial, also known as Bigleaf Wood Aster, Large-Leaved Aster

Heath Aster

Symphyotrichum ericoides, FORMERLY Aster ericoides
Native Perennial, also known as White Aster, Frost Aster, Many-Flowered Aster

The variety Symphyotrichum ericoides var. encoides spreads through rhizomes, while the variety Symphyotrichum ericoides var. pansum does not.





Lindley's Aster

Symphyotrichum ciliolatum, FORMERLY Aster ciliolatus
Native Perennial, also known as Fringed Blue Aster, Northern Heart-Leaved Aster, Ciliolate Wood Aster




Smooth Blue Aster

Symphyotrichum laeve, FORMERLY Aster laevis
Native Perennial, also known as Smooth Aster, Smooth-Leaved Aster, Michaelmas Daisy, Glaucous Aster



Lance-Leaved Aster

Symphyotrichum lanceolatum, FORMERLY Aster lanceolatus and Aster simplex
Native Perennial, also known as Panicled Aster, White Panicled Aster



Daisy Fleabane

Erigeron strigosus
Native Annual or Biennial, also known as Prairie Fleabane



Northern Daisy Fleabane

Erigeron acris
Native Biennial or Perennial, also known as Bitter Fleabane, Blue Fleabane





Smooth Fleabane

Erigeron glabellus OR Erigeron asper
Native Biennial or Perennial, also known as Streamside Fleabane, Rough Fleabane

Violet and Blue

Creeping Bellflower

Campanula rapunculoides
Introduced Perennial, also known as Creeping Bluebell, Garden Bluebell, Garden Harebell, Roving Bellflower, Purple Bell





Purple Milkvetch

Astragalus agrestis
Native Perennial, also known as Milkvetch, Field Milkvetch, Purple Loco

See also Ascending Purple Milkvetch, which has more narrow leaves, on the Climbers & Creepers Page.

Northern Bog Violet

Viola nephrophylla
Native Annual or Biennial, also known as Leconte Violet, Kidney-Leaved Violet



Giant Blue Hyssop

Agastache foeniculum
Native Perennial, also known as Giant Hyssop, Fragrant Giant Hyssop, Lavender Giant Hyssop, Anise Hyssop

Giant Hyssop

Blue-Eyed Grass

Sisyrinchium montanum
Native Perennial, also known as American Blue-Eyed Grass, Strict American Blue-Eyed Grass

Despite the name, this is not a true grass.




Yellow and Short

Macoun's Buttercup

Ranunculus macounii
Native Perennial, also known as Macoun






Smooth Yellow Violet

Viola pubescens
Native Perennial, also known as Downy Yellow Violet



Yellow Lady's-Slipper Orchid

Cypripedium calceolus
Introduced Perennial, also known as Moccasin Flower



Silverweed

Potentilla anserina
Native Perennial, also known as Common Silverweed, Silver Cinquefoil

Quite an attractive little plant that doesn't deserve the ignominy of being called a weed.




Bird's-Foot Trefoil

Lotus corniculatus
Introduced  Perennial, also known as Birdsfoot Deervetch, Eggs & Bacon
 


Common Toadflax

Linaria vulgaris
Introduced Perennial, also known as Butter-and-Eggs, Yellow Toadflax

For the species Bastard Toadflax, see Weeds.



This latter photo was taken along the Harte Trail.

Leafy Spurge

Euphorbia esula
Introduced Perennial, also known as Green Spurge





White and Short

Canada Anemone

Anemone canadensis
Native Perennial, also known as Meadow Anemone, Round-Headed Anemone, Round-Leaf Thimbleweed, Windflower

A patch of Canada Anemone interspersed with Tufted Vetch


 
 

Cut-Leaved Anemone

Anemone multifida
Native Perennial, also known as Globe Anemone, Pacific Anemone





These seed heads are probably Cut-Leaved Anemone, although the stalks differ in colour from those in the above photo.

Close-Up

Scentless Chamomile

Matricaria maritima
Native Biennial or Short-Lived Perennial, also known as False Mayweed, Sea Mayweed





Bastard Toadflax

Comandra umbellata
Native Perennial, also known as Common Comandra






Milkweeds

Common Milkweed

Asclepias syriaca
Native Perennial, also known as Silky Milkweed, Silkweed, Butterfly Flower




This last photo was taken along the Harte Trail.

Dwarf Milkweed

Asclepias ovalifolia
Native Perennial, also known as Oval-Leaf Milkweed








Other Wildflowers

Lady's Thumb

Polygonum maculosa
Native Annual, also known as Spotted Lady's Thumb, Jesusplant




Canadian Milkvetch

Astragalus canadensis
Native Perennial




Arrow-Leaved Colt's Foot (Butterbur)

Petasites sagittatus
Native Perennial, also known as Butterbur, Sweet Colt's Foot

The first flower we saw in the forest, Spring 2021.  I walked right by it, but Shirley spotted it.

A week after these photos were taken, this plant was gone.  Eaten by a deer?

Seneca Snakeroot

Polygala senega
Native Perennial, also known as Rattlesnake Root, Mountain Flax

Unidentified


Photos to be added



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