Mihai Costea, January 2024
In January 1994, Paul Catling and Ernest Small published in the CBA Bulletin the first paper of what would become a three decades uninterrupted collection of articles documenting interesting plants from Canada. The inaugural paper auspiciously profiled Polygala senega (Seneca Snakeroot) in a series that the authors entitled “Poorly Known Economic Plants of Canada”. Over time, this series branched into two directions: “Native Plant Emblems of Canada” and “Major Invasive Alien Plants in Natural Habitats in Canada. Dr. Small further enriched this botanical saga from 2012 to 2023 with a new series “Top Canadian Ornamental Plants.” The articles penned in the nineties were succinct and sparsely illustrated, but as the years unfolded, they became more detailed and lavishly illustrated. Other botanists, such as Gisèle Mitrow, Amada Ward and Liette Vasseur, co-authored some of the invasive plant papers adding diversity to the collection. Noteworthy mentions go to Paul Heydon and Stephen Derbyshire, among others, who contributed some papers as sole authors. Regrettably, as conveyed in Bulletin 56(2) from 2023, Ernest Small announced an end to his contribution to this remarkable botanical odyssey.
Overall, ca. 140 articles profiled plants from across the entire spectrum of the Canadian flora: native, invasive/alien and ornamental (cultivated) plants. While a few of the articles provided general overviews or identification keys, the majority focused on certain species, groups of species, or genera. Recognizing the intrinsic value of this collection to the CBA/ABC members and plant enthusiasts at large, with the kind permission of the authors, I exacted the articles from the original Bulletins, and made them available on this webpage. General topic articles can be found at the top, followed by the plant profiles in alphabetical order by genus and species, irrespective of their native, introduced or cultivated status in Canada. This eclectic organization is the most pragmatic because it allows the fastest search by Latin name, and it does not discriminate based on the geographical origin (native versus alien) or the perceived “goodness/evilness” of the plants (e.g., native or ornamental plants versus the invasive).
General Articles
- A short list of references frequently used by professional botanists for identification of Canadian vascular plants
- A prioritized list of the invasive alien plants of natural habitats in Canada
- A key to the common grasses of SE Canada by vegetative characteristics
- Canadian alvars and limestone barrens: areas of “special conservation concern” for plants?
- Overview of Canadian plant emblems
- Top ornamental plants – general considerations 1
- Top ornamental plants – general considerations 2
- Top ornamental plants – general considerations 3
Plant Profiles
In a few cases, the Latin names used in the original articles have been updated to the currently accepted binomials in Vascan. When the genus includes both native and cultivated species (e.g., Lilium, Rhododendron, Viola), the word “ornamental” was added as a disambiguation to the corresponding cultivated plants. However, genera such as Begonia, Gladiolus, etc., which do not include native species, were left without an additional label because it is clear that those plants are solely cultivated as ornamentals in Canada. For citation, I recommend referring to the original papers published in the Bulletin.
Abies balsamea Abies lasiocarpa Acer spp. [Canadian species] Achillea millefolium Actaea racemosa [≡ Cimicifuga racemosa] Agropyron cristatum and Agropyron fragile Alliaria petiolata Allium tricoccum Allium schoenoprasum Alstroemeria spp. Amelanchier alnifolia Ammannia robusta Amphicarpaea bracteata Anthoxanthum nitens subsp. nitens [≡ Hierochloë odorata] Apios americana Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Aronia melanocarpa Asimina triloba Balsamorhiza sagittata Begonia spp. Betula alleghaniensis Betula papyrifera Bromus inermis Buddleja davidii Butomus umbellatus Castanea dentata Carya ovata and Carya lacinosa Chamaenerion angustifolium (subsp. angustifolium) Chrysanthemum spp. (ornamental) Cornus nuttallii Corylus americana and Corylus cornuta Cryptotaenia canadensis Cyclamen spp. Cypripedium acaule Cytisus scoparius Dianthus spp. (ornamental) Dryas integrifolia Echinacea angustifolia Epigaea repens Euphorbia esula Euphorbia pulcherrima Festuca altaica Frangula alnus Gaylussacia spp. (Western Canada) Gerbera spp. Gladiolus spp. Hamamelis virginiana Hesperostipa comata Hibiscus spp. (ornamental) Hippeastrum spp. Humulus lupulus Hydrangea spp. Hydrastis canadensis Hydrocharis morsus-ranae Impatiens spp. (ornamental) Iris versicolor Iris spp. (ornamental) Isoetes engelmannii Juglans nigra and Juglans cinerea Kalanchoe spp. “Kelp” Larix laricina Lilium candidum Lilium philadelphicum Lilium spp.(ornamental) Lonicera tatarica Lupinus spp. (ornamental) Lythrum salicaria Malus spp. Matteuccia struthiopteris Morus rubra Myriophyllum spp. Narcissus spp. Oenothera biennis Paeonia spp. Panax quinquefolius Pelargonium spp. Petunia spp. Picea abies Picea mariana Picea rubens Pinus contorta Pinus strobus Phalenopsis spp. Phalaris arundinacea Phragmites australis: general introduction; Phragmites australis: native and alien forms in Canada; Phragmites australis: invasive in Canada Polygala senega Podophyllum peltatum Primula spp. Pulsatilla nuttalliana [≡ Anemone patens var. multifida] Quercus rubra Reynoutria japonica Rhamnus cathartica Rhamnus purshiana Rhodiola rosea Rhododendron groenlandicum [≡ Ledum groenlandicum] Rhododendron spp. (ornamental) Rosa acicularis Rosa spp. (ornamental) Rubus chamaemorus Saintpaulia ionantha hybrids Sambucus nigra Sanguinaria canadensis Sarracenia purpurea Saxifraga oppositifolia Shepherdia canadensis and Shepherdia argentea Syringa spp. Taraxacum spp. Taxus brevifolia Taxus canadensis Thuja plicata Trillium grandiflorum Tulipa spp. Typha spp. Urtica dioica Vaccinium macrocarpon Vaccinium myrtillus Vaccinium spp. (Western Canada) Viburnum opulus Viola cucullata Viola spp. (ornamental) Zizania aquatica and Zizania palustris