This vast country stretches from a temperate zone to the Arctic and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The variations in climate and habitat determine the types of flowers and their growth patterns.
Floral Emblems
By various means, each province and territory adopted its official floral emblem. In some areas, children made the selections. Elsewhere, specific groups successfully promoted their recommendations. In some instances, the flowers are not unique to the province or territory where they were chosen, but they are or were prolific there.
Alberta
The Wild Rose (rosa acicularis) was selected by school children in 1930 to be the official flower. A prolific plant with large, pink, fragrant flowers on prickly stems, the wild rose grows in clearings and on rocky slopes.
British Columbia
The Pacific Dogwood (cornus nuttallii), a tree that grows in deep, well-drained soil, was designated as the province’s floral emblem in 1956. Its clustered cream-coloured flowers that bloom in April and May are followed by bright red berries in autumn. The Pacific Dogwood is a protected species.
Manitoba
School children voted for the Prairie Crocus (anemone patens) in 1906. Its lavender flowers appear very early in the Spring, often before the snow has completely melted. A long-lived plant, these beautiful wildflowers arise from woody roots and often form colonies in sunny areas with sandy soil.
New Brunswick
The Purple Violet (viola cucullata) was selected in 1936 at the request of the provincial Women’s Institute. Stemless, with flower stocks and leaves that grow directly from root stocks in moist meadows, it blooms from May through July.
Newfoundland/Labrador
The Pitcher Plant (sarracenia purpurea) was shown on the Newfoundland penny during the late 1880s and declared the provincial flower in 1954. An insectivorous plant that grows primarily in marshland and bogs, it has hollow, pitcher-shaped leaves and a large wine-red flower with red and gold centre.
Nova Scotia
In 1901 the Trailing Arbutus (epigaea repens), commonly known as Mayflower, became this province’s emblem. In acid soil or sandy woods, the sub shrub ground creeper’s pale pink or white blossoms appear from March to May.
Ontario
The White Trillium (trilliium grandiflorum) was recommended by botanists and officially adopted in 1937. During late April and May, the white, three-petalled flowers set on three leaves are quite showy in deciduous forests and woodlands.
Prince Edward Island
The Lady’s Slipper (cypripedium acaule), adopted as the floral emblem in 1947, is a member of the orchid family. Growing in shady, moist woodlands, its pink flowers appear late in May.
Quebec
As the province’s chosen flower the Madonna lily does not grow naturally in the province; Quebec selected the Blue Flag (iris versicolor linne) in 1999. It blooms from May to July in marshes, thickets, and wet meadows.
Saskatchewan
The Western Red Lily (lullium philadelphicum) was selected as the provincial flower in 1941. In semi-wooded areas and meadows, it produces flaming orange/red blossoms from June to August. The Western Red Lily is a protected species.
Northwest Territories
Mountain Avens (dryas integrifolia) was selected in 1957 because it is prolific in the northern tundra where it produces short, white flowers in late spring. A ground-hugging plant, it grows in alpine meadows and rocky barren areas in full sun.
Nunavut Territory
The new territory chose Purple Saxifraga (saxifrage oppositifolia) in 2000. A cushion plant that grows like a mat over rocks, its small, bright purple star-shaped flowers appear soon after the snow melts.
Yukon Territory
In 1957 the Fireweed (epilobium angustifolium) was selected as the floral emblem. With clusters of small, dark pink flowers on 3 to 7-foot stems from July to September, it grows in burned or logged areas and frequently along roadsides.
Protected Species
It is interesting to note that the Pacific Dogwood in British Columbia and the Western Red Lily in Saskatchewan are designated protected species.
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