Wildlife Viewing

Common Yukon
roadside flowers
© Government of Yukon 2019
ISBN 987-1-55362-830-9
A guide to common Yukon
All photos are Yukon government unless otherwise noted.
roadside flowers
Bog Laurel
Cover artwork of Arctic Lupine by Lee Mennell. Yukon is home to more than
1,250 species of flowering
For more information contact: plants. Many of these plants
Government of Yukon are perennial (continuously
Wildlife Viewing Program living for more than two
Box 2703 (V-5R) years). This guide highlights
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6 the flowers you are most
likely to see while travelling
Phone: 867-667-8291 Toll free: 1-800-661-0408 x 8291
by road through the territory.
Email: wildlife.viewing@gov.yk.ca
It describes 58 species of
Yukon.ca flowering plant, grouped by Table of contents
Find us on Facebook at “Yukon Wildlife Viewing” flower colour followed by
a section on Yukon trees. Introduction...........................2
To identify a flower, flip to the Pink flowers...........................6
appropriate colour section White flowers..................... 10
and match your flower with Yellow flowers.................... 19
Additional resources the pictures. Although it is
often thought that Canada’s
Purple/blue flowers.......... 24
north is a barren landscape, Green flowers..................... 31
While this guide is an excellent place to start when identi-
fying a Yukon wildflower, we do not recommend relying you’ll soon see that it is Trees..................................... 32
solely on it, particularly with reference to using plants actually home to an amazing
as food or medicines. The following are some additional diversity of unique flora.
resources available in Yukon libraries and bookstores. Four-parted
Gentian
The Boreal Herbal: Wild Food & Medicine Plants of the North
(2011). Gray, B. Aroma Borealis Press.
Field Guide to Alaska Wildflowers (2009).
Pratt, V.E. Alaskakrafts Publishing.
Flora of the Yukon Territory (1996).
Cody, W.J. NRC Research Press
Plants of Northern British Columbia (1999).
Mackinnon, A., Pojar, J. & R. Coupé, Lone Pine Publishing.
Wildflowers of the Yukon, Alaska and Northwestern Canada
(2009). Trelawny, J. Harbour Publishing

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 Introduction

Yukon’s territorial flower

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) is Yukon’s official flower.
Although it is found in most parts of Canada, it is a common
plant here thanks to forest fires. As one of the first plants
to colonize a landscape after
a forest fire, Fireweed sets
Viewing etiquette Grizzly Bear
eating dandelions. the hillsides ablaze with
brilliant pinks and purples,
To be respectful of plants, their habitats
a welcome reminder of the
and other wildlife, please follow these guidelines.
regrowth to come.
Avoid trampling. Follow trails and paths to avoid Fireweed is used in many

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unnecessary trampling of vegetation. If you must move off
locally produced products,
the path, spread out to minimize the impact on one area.
such as honey, tea, salads
Clean your boots and pants to avoid and creams. One local Fireweed is one of the first to
cross-contaminating areas. Seeds from invasive brewery even makes a bloom after a forest fire.
plants may cling to your pant cuffs, socks or boot bottoms special ale with it.
and could be transferred to another area.
However, Fireweed was not the first choice for the flower
Watch for wildlife. Many flowers produce seeds of the territory. At the urging of Martha Louise Black,
and berries. Try not to disturb birds and wildlife while an avid flower lover and well-respected resident of the time,
they are enjoying their feast. Yukon adopted the Prairie Crocus (Pulsatilla patens) as its
official flower in 1954. Mrs. Black felt the crocus represented
Take only pictures. Many of these plants take years the Yukon spirit because it is the first flower to appear
to bloom and picking them could kill the rest of the plant.
as the snow melts. She felt Fireweed was too “common”
Pick up litter. Please leave an area as clean and to merit special status.
undisturbed as possible, so that the next visitors can
Unfortunately, Manitoba
enjoy the same Yukon wildlife experience.
had laid claim to the Pasque-
flower, as the Prairie Crocus is
also known. Out of deference
to Mrs. Black, the government
Bruce Bennett

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waited until after she passed

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away in 1957 before naming
the resilient Fireweed as
A wildlife viewer takes home a Foxtail Barley seeds can Yukon’s official flower. Prairie Crocus or Pasqueflower.
souvenir of a unique plant, in the spread by sticking to clothing.
form of a great photo.
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 Unique Yukon flora Yukon invaders
Some people think Canada’s north is a harsh landscape This guide includes
with very little natural diversity. Boreal forests of evergreen descriptions of
trees do dominate the area, but a variety of habitats contain the most common
many unique and interesting plants. wildflowers you
may see, whether
During the Ice Age,

Adapted from Hopkins et al., 1982,

land exposed today
they are native
a vast landscape Beringian shoreline, exposed seabed
Glaciers during last glaciation
or introduced.
in Yukon remained ir kaR
. ARCTIC OCEAN NWT
Indig
unglaciated. Known After habitat loss,

Paleoecology of Beringia.
Yukon

Lloyd Freese
.
ma R Chukchi Sea
Koly
as Beringia, many invasive plants and
.
nR

R. Alaska
Siberia
plants and animals n
animals are the
olo

ko
Yu
Om

Anadyr
continued to thrive R.
Bering Sea
greatest threat to biodiversity.
here while much Of the 120 plant species
of Canada was introduced to Yukon, a few
PACIFIC OCEAN Common Tansy is mildly toxic and
buried under ice. 0 500 km
have become invasive.
emits a pungent smell when crushed.
The isolation of Though some of these
Extent of ice flow during recent glaciation.
Beringia allowed invasive plants may have beautiful flowers, they may
some plants to evolve so that they are found no place else on also harbour disease or insect pests, and have the potential
earth. This has made Yukon one of the richest floral regions to change natural processes such as increasing fire
in Canada, with greater diversity than the Canadian prairies. frequency or restricting water flow.
In order to keep native Yukon plants healthy and abundant,
please take care to not transplant or spread new species
around the territory.
Bruce Bennett
Martin Owen

Yukon Draba is only found Yukon Goldenweed is one

in southwest Yukon and nowhere of five Yukon plants found
else on earth. nowhere else on earth.
Bruce Bennett

Bruce Bennett
Baikal Sedge needs
specific habitat, such as
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the Carcross Dunes,

to survive. It is listed
as Threathened Perennial Sow-thistle is an invasive Great Blanket Flower, a garden
in Canada. plant that spreads long distances plant that has gone wild.
by wind-blown seed.
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 Kinnikinnick
Pink Flowers Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | Heath family

Raup’s Paintbrush This trailing evergreen shrub is common on rocky outcrops

Bruce Bennett
Castilleja raupii | Figwort family and dry forest floors throughout Yukon, often forming mats.
The name Kinnikinnick, meaning
The purplish-pink flowers look like “mixture” in the Chinook trading
they have been dipped in paint, language, refers to the use of
giving this plant its common name. the leaves of this plant in
Raup’s Paintbrush is a parasitic smoking mixtures. The small,
plant, feeding on the roots of pink, urn-shaped flowers give
other plants. A similar species, way to bright red berries that
Yukon Paintbrush (Castilleja yukonis) are edible, but dry and mealy.
Bruce Bennett
has yellow flowers and can be
found in southern Yukon. There are Mountain Cranberry, Low-bush Cranberry
eight species of paintbrush Vaccinium vitis-idaea ssp. minus | Heath family
in Yukon.
This small, mat-forming evergreen shrub
is one of the most well-known Yukon
Twinflower plants. The small pink or white flowers
Linnaea borealis | Honeysuckle family
give way to edible, shiny, dark red berries
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that ripen in late August or September.
This creeping evergreen
The berries can be somewhat acidic
gets its common name
but sweeten dramatically after the
from its paired, small,
first frost. Berries can be eaten raw or
sweet-smelling pink
used in baking and for jams and jellies.
flowers that hang from Peter Long
slender Y-shaped stalks.
However, Twinflower is
perhaps more celebrated What’s the difference?
for its scientific name, Mountain Cranberry (left) and
Linnaea. This delicate Kinnikinnick (right) are low
flower, the favourite of sprawling plants that form
mats on the forest floor.

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18th century Swedish
Mountain Cranberry leaves
botanist Carl Linnaeus, founder of the modern scientific are oval with notched tips,
naming system, was named for him. Twinflower grows a prominent midvein,
in both forested areas and meadows, and can tolerate and rounded at both ends. Kinnikinnick has longer
shade well. leaves that taper towards the stem. Its berries
develop earlier and are orange-red compared to
the soft burgundy-red of the Mountain Cranberry.
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 Pink Flowers
Fireweed Peter Long

Chamerion angustifolium | Evening Primrose family

Prickly Rose
This bright, showy plant is Yukon’s Rosa acicularis | Rose family
territorial flower. Called “Fireweed”
because of its sudden abundance This small shrub has
in areas cleared by forest fire, prickly stems and large,
this plant readily colonizes fragrant pink, solitary
roadsides, meadows and gravel flowers, and is wide-
bars. In forests, plants can often be spread at low to
seen in their much less conspicuous medium elevations
non-flowering form, waiting for throughout Yukon.
fire to clear out the shading trees. Late in the summer,
Every part of the Fireweed plant flowers become large
is edible, and the nectar-rich flowers rosehips that are edible and high in
produce high-grade honey. vitamin C. Before eating rosehips,
open them and discard the spiny seeds.

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Rosehips can also be made into tasty
jams and jellies.

River Beauty
Evening Primrose family
Chamerion latifolium |
Dwarf Raspberry, Nagoon Berry
Adolf Ceska Rubus arcticus ssp. acaulis | Rose family
This low-growing bushy
plant is closely related to, This creeping dwarf shrub Peter Long
and greatly resembles, gives rise to pretty deep

Bruce Bennett
Fireweed. River Beauty pink or purple flowers. In late
blooms in July and August, July and August, deep red,
creating swaths of bright edible berries appear that
pink along roadsides, provide a tasty snack and
in river-bars and on make excellent jam, if you have
mountain sides. Like its enough patience to find the sparse
bigger relative, River Beauty fruit. The Latin name, acaulis,
is also edible. means stemless, referring to the
absence of a woody stem.

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 White Flowers Dorothy Cooley

Jakutsk Snow-parsley
Conioselinum cnidiifolium | Parsnip family Bruce Bennett
Northern Bedstraw
Jakutsk Snow-parsley grows Galium boreale | Coffee family
on roadsides, gravelly river
banks and meadows in both This pleasant-smelling perennial
wet and dry areas of central plant is found in open dry areas
and western Yukon. It is such as meadows and roadsides.
named after the city of It is a member of the coffee
Jakutsk (Yakutsk ) in Siberia, family, and its fruits can
where it was first described. be roasted and used as a
To be safe, don’t taste it – caffeine-free coffee substitute.
the closely related, The leaves and roots have also
but poisonous, Mackenzie’s been used to make tea.
Water Hemlock (Cicuta virosa) Distintive leaves at the Peter Long

grows across Yukon as well. base of the plant.

Dwarf Dogwood, Bunchberry

Cow Parsnip Cornus canadensis | Dogwood family
Heracleum maximum | Parsnip family
Peter Long Bunchberry gets its name

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This robust perennial from the tight cluster of
is widespread on bright-red berries that
stream banks and develop in early August.
moist, ground. These berries replace the
It has large, rhubarb- inconspicuous, small,
sized leaves. Small, purple true flowers that
white flowers grow lie closely-packed at the
in clusters at the top centre of the “white flower.”
of hollow stems and This white flower is not
give off a strong, actually a flower at all,
unpleasant odor but rather four white
that attracts flies. Cow Parsnip is not poisonous, unlike the bracts that are modified
closely related White Parsley (Cicuta maculata) which contains leaves. A common sight
cicutotoxin, a deadly poison. Yet care should be taken when on moist forest floors, Bruce Bennett

touching Cow Parsnip as some people may experience pain, it can be seen along many Bunchberries in fall.
itching or blistering from direct skin contact. of Yukon’s wooded trails.
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 White Flowers White Sweetclover Dorothy Cooley
Melilotus albus | Pea family

Scheuchzer’s Cottongrass Terry McIntosh

White Sweetclover is one of Yukon’s
Eriophorum scheuchzeri | Sedge family
most problematic invasive plants.
This plant can grow to a height of
This circumpolar species is
two metres, although most plants
not a true grass, despite its
are less than one metre tall. A single
name. Cottongrass is easily
plant can produce 300,000 seeds,
recognized when going to
which can remain viable in water
seed by the fluffy tufts that
or soil for over 80 years. Already
resemble cotton batting.
widespread throughout southern
The “cotton” is actually a
Yukon, this plant readily invades
collection of long white hairs
gravelly, well-drained soils,
that help the seeds disperse
such as roadsides, riverbanks,
in the wind. In the past, cottongrass has been used
and gravel bars. Along with its
for everything from stuffing pillows to dressing wounds.
close relative, Yellow Sweetclover
Yukon is home to nine species of cottongrass.
(Melilotus officinalis), White Sweetclover alters soil
conditions by fixing nitrogen, out-competes native plants,
Labrador Tea degrades natural grasslands, and can alter sedimentation
Rhododendron groenlandicum | Heath family rates in rivers.

This evergreen shrub Mountain Death Camas

Bruce Bennett

is easily identified, Zygadenus elegans | Lily family

with or without flowers,
by its distinctive leaves: This ominously named flower
glossy dark green above, contains the poisonous alkaloid
with rust-coloured, hairy zygadine. If ingested, Mountain
undersides. The closely Death Camas causes vomiting,
related species, Trapper’s decreased body temperature,
Tea (Rhododendron difficulty breathing and coma.
tomentosum), is a smaller This plant is widespread in
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plant with narrower leaves, Yukon and grows in poplar forests
and is also found throughout Yukon. and open meadows.
Both species are used to make a Depending on elevation, Peter Long
distinctive tea, though Rhododendrum it flowers from late
tomentosum is more sought after and June to August.
said to give the nicest flavour.

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 White Flowers
Wild Strawberry Stefan Gottermann
Alaska Wild-rhubarb
Bruce Bennett
Fragaria virginiana | Rose family
Aconogonon alaskanum | Buckwheat family

Found in forests and

open meadows, Alaska Wild-rhubarb is
Wild Strawberries often usually found growing in
form small colonies. showy clumps on roadsides
In July, the small white or other disturbed sites.
flowers are replaced Flowers are yellowish-white
by edible juicy red fruit or cream coloured.
that contains more The young stems
vitamin C, gram for gram, than oranges. and leaves of this
plant are edible

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This species is the original parent of
90 per cent of all cultivated strawberries (unlike the related
now grown. The related species, Beach Garden Rhubarb
Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), is the (Rheum rhabarbarum),
original parent of the remaining 10 per cent. Bruce Bennett that has poisonous leaves).

Mountain Avens
Dryas integrifolia | Rose family
Mountain Avens has evergreen
leaves that form a mat over
hard surfaces. It is a hardy
species that colonizes rocky,
barren slopes, gravelly areas
and river flats where it can
dominate tundra communities.
Blooming in June and July,
the flowers and seeds were
used by some First Nations
people to make a bright green dye. The Eight-petalled
Mountain Avens (Dryas octopetala) is the territorial flower
of the Northwest Territories. Yellow Mountain Avens
(Dryas drummondi) is common in southwest Yukon.
Sparrow’s-egg Lady’s-slipper,
Northern Lady’s-slipper Peter Long
Cypripedium passerinum | Orchid family
Blooming in late June or early July,
this plant can be found in
sphagnum bogs, gravel outwashes,
and wet talus. The distinctive
white, pouch-shaped flower has
dark purple spots on the inside
that are occasionally visible.
Bruce Bennett
This plant can take up to 15 years
to flower. It is one of three species
of lady’s-slipper in Yukon.

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White Flowers
Bog Buckbean
Menyanthes trifoliata | Buckbean family
This circumpolar plant prefers bogs
and wet lakeshores. The white flowers
appear hairy, and grow in clusters at
the top of the plant. A tea made from
the dried roots or leaves can be used
to treat digestive problems, and to
relieve fever and migraine headaches.
However, in high doses this plant has
a laxative effect. The foliage is similar
to broad beans, which may have
given rise to its name. The rhizomes
were often used by Alaska natives to
make emergency bread for survival.
Cut-leaf Anemone
Anemone multifida | Buttercup family
Bruce Bennett
This plant is common on
gravelly roadsides and dry
slopes throughout southern
Yukon. Flowers can be white,
yellow, pink, purple, or even
bright red. A similar plant with
creeping roots, the Northern
Anemone (Anemone parviflora)
grows in moister, shaded areas.
Anemones are also called “Wind Flowers”
from the Latin word for wind: anemos.
Cut-leaf Anemone flowers from May
to July and is the most common of the
seven species of anemone in Yukon.
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Marsh Grass-of-Parnassus, Bog Star
Parnassia palustris | Saxifrage family
This perennial plant prefers wet, open
Bruce Bennett
places. It occurs in wet tundra or along
lake shores and riparian areas such as
river banks. The flower’s petals are about
twice the length of its sepals (arrow).
It owes its name to a description of a
grass-like plant growing on the side of
Mount Parnassus. When the ancient
Greek description was translated,
this “grass” was taken to be Parnassia
palustris. Although this was likely
a mistake since Parnassia are not
grasslike, the name persists.
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Two other types of Parnassia are
(left) P. fimbriata – with showy
fringes on the petals – and (right)
P. kotzebuei (with sepals and
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petals about the same size).
Prickly Saxifrage,
Three-toothed Saxifrage
Saxifraga tricuspidata | Saxifrage family
This plant is named for its
leaves that are rigid and
leathery with three pointed,
tooth-like lobes at the end.
If you look closely at the
small white flowers,
you can see they are dotted
with small red-orange spots.
This common saxifrage is
found in dry, rocky areas
throughout Yukon. Peter Long
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 White Flowers Yellow Flowers
Common Yarrow Bruce Bennett
Northern Goldenrod
Achillea millefolium | Sunflower family Solidago multiradiata | Sunflower family

This aromatic plant is found along This perennial herb is one

roadsides and growing in gravely of the most common and
and sandy soils throughout Yukon, widespread species on
especially in the south. Because the alpine tundra. It is also
of its usefulness, this plant was common in open forests,
one of the first plants ever named. meadows, slopes, and
Common Yarrow was named for gravel bars throughout
Achilles, who used the leaves to Yukon. Solidago is a group
staunch wounds. It is a natural of medicinal plants.
insect repellent, and can be boiled Translated from Latin,
to relieve congestion. the name means to make
(ago) whole (solidus).
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Tufted Fleabane
Sunflower family
Erigeron caespitosus
Narrow-leaved Arnica
|

Arnica angustifolia | Sunflower family

This aster-like plant is adapted to
dry, gravelly soils and can dominate Found in dry, sandy, gravelly
grasslands in southwest Yukon. places and open forests,
The name “fleabane” was given to Alpine Arnica ranges
this species because it was believed throughout Yukon. The name
that bunches of the dried plant Arnica comes from the Greek
hung indoors would drive out fleas. word “arna” meaning lamb,
During the last ice age, Tufted and refers to the white hairs
Fleabane was separated from the on the leaves and stalks of
rest of its range on the Great Plains this plant. Many species
of southern Canada. of Arnica have been used in
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Europe and North America
Asteraceae: The Sunflower family, the largest family as topical herbal remedies
of flowering plants in the world, has 125 species in Yukon. for everything from bruises
This widespread family is most common in temperate regions, to hair loss. Arnica should
in open and dry environments. Lettuce, Artichoke, Ragweed not be ingested; it can be fatal
and Echinacea are also members of the Sunflower family. in large quantities.
Peter Long

18 19
 Yellow Flowers
Narrowleaf Hawksbeard
Mastodon Flower, Marsh Fleabane Crepis tectorum | Sunflower family
Senecio congestus | Sunflower family
This invasive plant occurs
This circumpolar plant prefers throughout Yukon along all major
wet places and disturbed areas, highways. Unlike the similar
and can grow to one metre looking dandelion, Narrowleaf
in height. Its numerous small Hawksbeard grows a single,
yellow flowers appear together sometimes branched, stem from
in large “congested” tight clusters. a small taproot that is easily
The young leaves and flowering pulled from the ground. It does
stems are edible and can be not compete well in undisturbed
added to salad. sites, but readily colonizes
frequently disturbed areas such
Adolf Ceska

as roadsides and rivers.

Bruce Bennett

Horned Dandelion
Pasture Sage Taraxacum ceratophorum | Sunflower family
Artemisia frigida | Sunflower family
This native dandelion gets its name from its visible horned
This distinctive, hairy, silvery- bracts. It is more widespread than the introduced dandelion,
green plant has small, pale Taraxacum officinale, that plagues residential lawns.
yellow flower heads, but is Dandelions get their name from the French description
easily recognized when not of their leaves: “dent de lion” or “lion’s teeth,” referring to
in bloom. Common in dry the toothed leaves. Young leaves can be eaten raw or
rocky slopes, grasslands and cooked as a green vegetable, however, the leaves become
sandy areas, this plant gives bitter with age. Yukon is home to at least four native
off a strong fragrance when species of dandelion that range in colour from white
crushed. Although it is not through pink to almost purple.
closely related to commercial
cooking sage, it can be used Arrows point to the
in cooking as a substitute. bracts. (left) T. officinale
Pasture Sage can also be has reflexed or bent
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back bracts. (right)

burned as a means of driving
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T. ceratophorum has
away insects. erect horned bracts.
Bruce Bennett

20 21
 Labrador Lousewort
Yellow Flowers Pedicularis labradorica | Figwort family

Silverberry, Wolf Willow This distinctive plant can be found

Elaeagnus commutata | Oleaster family in open mossy places on tundra.
The pure yellow variety sulphurea
This shrub spreads rapidly into is unique to Yukon. Labrador
disturbed areas, forming large Lousewort is a root parasite,

Bruce Bennett
patches of silvery leaves and berries. drawing nutrients away from the
The Donjek River (Dän Zhür Chù) roots of neighbouring plants.
in southwest Yukon was named
for the Silverberry plants that line
Yellow Water Lily
the river banks. The flowers Nuphar polysepalum | Water Lily family
are extremely fragrant and

John Meikle
the large seeds have been These showy flowers can be found
used as decorative beads. on ponds, shallow lakes and
slow-moving streams in forested
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parts of Yukon. The rhizomes of
Yellow Water Lilies are an important
food source for beaver, muskrat,
Soapberry, Soopolallie and moose. They can be sliced thinly
Shepherdia canadensis | Oleaster family and dried for human consumption.

In early spring, tiny yellowish-brown

flowers bloom on both male Northern Yellow Locoweed Peter Long

(pictured) and female Soapberry Oxytropis campestris | Pea family

shrubs. In late June, the female
flowers produce bitter red berries This densely tufted, hairy plant
which, when whipped into a froth, can be found in dry, sandy,
become “Indian ice cream.” gravelly places. Northern Yellow
Locoweed contains the alkaloid
Soapberry and Silverberry are
swainsonine and is extremely
both important wild animal foods,
toxic. Locoweed is named
particularly for bears, birds,
for the disease “Locoism” in
and voles.
which livestock appear mentally
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disordered, and experience
Bruce Bennett
paralysis and impaired vision
as a result of poisoning from
these plants.
22 23
 Bear-root, Indian Potato
Purple/Blue Flowers Hedysarum alpinum | Pea family

Siberian Aster Bruce Bennett This tall Hedysarum is both beautiful

Aster sibiricus | Sunflower family and an important food source. It can
be found along roadsides, on rocky
This plant prefers gravelly slopes and gravel bars, and in forests.
river areas, dry meadows and Its carbohydrate-rich roots are edible
open forests. Asters are eaten and, when roasted or boiled, taste
by a number of wildlife species, similar to potatoes or young carrots.
especially deer and moose. The roots of Hedysarum alpinum are
an important food source for Grizzly
Bears, but humans must be cautious
Tall Lungwort, Bluebells not to confuse Bear-root with Northern Sweet-vetch.
Bruce Bennett

Mertensia paniculata | Borage family

Bruce Bennett

This flower is recognized by

branched clusters of drooping
bell-shaped flowers, which give
this plant its common name.
Preferring moist areas, it can be
found in forests and meadows
and along stream banks.
Its leaves are edible and a tasty
addition to a summer salad.
Showy Crazyweed, Showy Locoweed
Oxytropis splendens | Pea family
This bright plant can be found
on dry, sandy, and shady slopes.
Most Oxytropis species are toxic,
and if ingested by livestock,
result in the disease
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Northern Sweet-vetch, Wild Sweet-pea
Hedysarum boreale ssp. mackenziei | Pea family
Hedysarum boreale is
reported to be poisonous.
The visible differences
Peter Long between it and Bear-root
are subtle: Northern
Sweet-vetch has a long,
thin, linear calyx while the
Bear-root calyx is triangular Left: Long, thin calyx of boreale.
or deltoid shaped. Right: Deltoid-shaped calyx of alpinum.
Poisonous Plants: Be extremely cautious when identifying
potentially edible plants. Some delicious plants have deadly
cousins that are quite similar in appearance. Confusion between
the nearly identical Hedysarum species was suspected in the
poisoning of Sir John Richardson’s arctic expedition of 1820.
It was also thought to be the cause of death for Chris McCandless,
whose story is told in the book

“Locoism” (see Northern and movie Into the Wild. However,

Sweet-vetch.

Yellow Locoweed ). recent studies have determined

Northern

However, bears eat this that this plant is not as toxic as

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plant in the spring with previously thought, leaving the

no obvious ill effects. deaths of these men a mystery.
Adolf Ceska
24 25
 Purple/Blue Flowers
Lupines: As with many species of the Pea Family (Fabaceae),
lupines are poisonous and have been known to kill animals that
have eaten them. All three lupines found in Yukon are shades of
purple and their differences are subtle. Yukon and Nootka lupines
have small hairs on the upper surface of their leaves, while Arctic Wild Flax
Lupine’s leaves are bare. The three lupines occupy unique habitats. Linum lewisii | Flax family
Yukon Lupines are found only in loose sandy soils of south-central
and southwest Yukon, and Nootka Lupines only in the mountains Wild Flax ranges from northern
of southwest Yukon, including the White Pass and Haines Pass. Mexico to the Canadian arctic
But Arctic Lupines can be found throughout the territory.
archipelago. Flowers bloom along
a very long, slender stem with long
Arctic Lupine leaves. It can survive in very dry, Bruce Bennett
Lupinus arcticus | Pea family
salty or cold soils, making it an
Arctic Lupine is one of the most common excellent plant for use in gardens
wildflowers in Yukon. The Latin name, and maintenance-free landscaping.
Lupinus, is derived from Lupus, or wolf, Commercial linseed oil comes
alluding to the early belief that Lupines from another species of Linum.
were “wolfing” nutrients from the soil. Peter Long

Yet Lupines improve the soil by adding

nitrogen and organic matter. Peter Long
Dragonhead
Dracocephalum parviflorum | Mint family
Bruce Bennett

Yukon Lupine
Lupinus kuschei | Pea family This plant is named
for its cluster of small
Yukon Lupine can be found in flowers (parviflorum)
abundance in the Carcross Dunes. that grow at the head
This species of Lupine is thought of the plant and are
to have evolved in Beringia, and is only said to resemble a
known from sites in Yukon, Alaska dragon’s (Draco) head
and northwestern British Columbia. (cephalum). This plant
Bruce Bennett grows for one or two
Nootka Lupine years and can be found
Lupinus nootkatensis | Pea family throughout Canada
and the northern U.S.
Nootka Lupine, occurs in the mountain in disturbed sites,
passes of the Haines Road and South particularly after burns.
Klondike Highway, and have leaf stems
no longer than the leaf blades. Bruce Bennett

26 27
 Purple/Blue Flowers
Adolf Ceska

Calypso, Lady’s Slipper

Calypso bulbosa | Orchid family
Peter Long
Northern Monkshood
Aconitum delphiniifolium | Buttercup family
This interesting-looking
plant is found among Northern Monkshood is named for its
the moss on shaded dark blue or purple flowers that are
forest floors. It is shaped like the hood of a monk’s robe.
appropriately named All parts of this plant are extremely
after Calypso, the poisonous, especially the roots and
sea-nymph daughter seeds. They contain the deadly
of Atlas in Greek poisons aconitine and aconine,
mythology, whose which cause loss of feeling, sweating,
name means “she who hides.” It is a delicate, fragrant, decreased body temperature,
pinky-purple flower that sits above a spotted lip or “slipper.” respiratory difficulties and, in high
Calypso is very susceptible to trampling as it has thin fragile doses, cardiac arrest.
roots. It grows with the help of a fungus, so, if transplanted,
usually dies or rarely flowers again.

Prairie Crocus, Pasqueflower

Showy Jacob’s Ladder Pulsatilla patens | Buttercup family
Polemonium pulcherrimum | Phlox family
Arguably the most popular
This pretty tufted plant has small Yukon flower, for many
lavender (sometimes white) flowers Yukoners the emergence
that bloom in early June. The name of the Prairie Crocus in late
Jacob’s Ladder refers to the ladder- April or early May signals
like arrangement of the leaves. spring’s arrival. The entire
The scientific name pulcherrimum surface of the plant,
means “very handsome” and is including the flowers,
a fitting description of this popular is covered in fuzzy white
plant. Showy Jacob’s Ladder hairs. These are crucial to
prefers dry, rocky, or sandy areas. the plant’s survival in the Peter Long
Peter Long
Two other types of Jacob’s Ladder call Yukon home: chilly months of spring. Insects will often take refuge
Boreal Jacob’s Ladder (P. boreale), found in the alpine, inside the flowers, where it can be 10°C warmer
and Tall Jacob’s Ladder (P. acutiflorum), found in wet areas. than the surrounding air.

28 29
 Purple/Blue Flowers Green Flowers
Gorman’s Beardtongue Bruce Bennett Northwest Territory Sedge Adolf Ceska
Penstemon gormanii | Figwort family Carex utriculata | Sedge family

This species of Penstemon This large plant prefers wet areas

is found only in southwest at low to moderate elevations.
Yukon, west-central Alaska Sedges are often confused with
and northern British Columbia. grasses, but here is a helpful
Gorman’s Beardtongue prefers rhyme for telling them apart:
dry, sandy or gravelly sites. “Sedges have edges, rushes are
The name Beardtongue round, and grasses are hollow,
refers to the hairy tongue-like like holes in the ground.”
lower lip of the flowers. The “edges” of sedges can be
Penstemon refers to its five felt by rolling the stalk between
(pent) stamens (stemon). two fingers. Northwest Territory
Four of these stamens are Sedge is an important food source
fertile and one is sterile. for waterbirds and muskrat. Nearly
In 1899, Martin Gorman, from Oregon, was the first one in ten of Yukon’s flowers are
western botanist to collect the plant. sedges: a total of 120 species.

Foxtail Barley Peter Long

Smooth Brome Bruce Bennett

Hordeum jubatum | Grass family Bromus inermis | Grass family

This perennial tufted plant has Smooth Brome is an introduced

feathery green to purple awns and invasive plant in Yukon.
that have a distinctive rippling Its ability to suppress all other
appearance in the breeze. native species by forming a thick
Many people find these awns mat of rhizomes also makes it an
attractive but they can cause important hay crop. It is found in
physical harm. The awns are every Yukon community except
barbed and will work their way Old Crow, as well as along most
into the eyes, nose, gums and Yukon highways where it was
throats of animals, both domestic and wild. Foxtail Barley seeded to stop erosion and
is native to Yukon and, while not technically an invasive plant, discourage willow growth. If found
it behaves the same way. It follows human disturbance and far from roads or rivers, Smooth
is particularly aggressive in the dry alkaline soil of southern Brome is likely the legacy of a
Yukon where it causes problems for farmers. long-abandoned farm or settlement.
30 31
 Trees Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall
Trembling Aspen Populus tremuloides
Trembling Aspen has oval-shaped leaves
with flat stems that easily catch the breeze
and tremble. Leaves are often covered
with tracks of the Aspen Leaf Miner insect.
Balsam Poplar Populus balsamifera
Balsam Poplar is a tall tree with
spade-shaped leaves. Its smooth,
green bark blackens and cracks
with age. Fragrant spring buds
make the famous “Balm of Gilead.”
Willow Species Salix species | Willow family
There are over 45 species of willow in
Yukon but only 10 grow large enough to
be considered trees. Felt-Leaved Willow,
the most widespread of all the tree-like
willows, is found throughout Yukon,
as far north as the arctic coast.
Alaska Paper Birch Betula neoalaskana
Birch trees have thin, papery bark ranging
in colour from copper brown to white.
Alaska Paper Birch has adapted to reduce
Snowshoe Hare browsing by producing
distasteful glands on its branches.
Speckled Alder Alnus incana | Birch family
Of the two species of alder
in Yukon, only Speckled Alder
reaches tree size.
32
Coniferous trees keep their needles year-round
Subalpine Fir Abies lasiocarpa | Pine family
| Willow family
The Subalpine Fir is usually found at
high altitudes. Its needles are flat and
reach upward. The Subalpine Fir is
Yukon’s territorial tree.
Remy Rodden
Peter Long
White Spruce Picea glauca | Pine family
| Willow family
White Spruce is has short, sharply
pointed, four-sided needles on all sides
of white, smooth, horizontal branches.
It is found in well-drained, dry soils.
Black Spruce Picea mariana | Pine family
Peter Long
Black Spruce has shorter needles and
rounder cones than White Spruce.
Its drooping lower branches are covered
with reddish hairs, while its upper
branches are clumped together,
looking like giant bird nests.
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Tamarack Larix laricina | Pine family
| Birch family
This tree has short needles that grow
in clusters along branches. Like all
Larch trees, the needles turn yellow
and fall off in autumn, making this
a deciduous conifer. Bruce Bennett
Stefan Gottermann
Lodgepole Pine Pinus contorta | Pine family
Lodgepole is the only type of pine found Peter Long
in Yukon. Its long needles are in pairs
that resemble tweezers. The cones are
sealed shut, only opening with the
intense heat of a forest fire.
Peter Long 33
 Yukon Podistera (Podistera yukonensis) —
Yukon hosts about 90% of the world’s population.

Yukon Conservation Data Centre

How you can help:
You can contribute to our knowledge of Yukon’s flora
by reporting your sightings of rare plants to the Yukon
Conservation Data Centre. Visit env.gov.yk.ca/animals-
habitat/cdc.php for information on how you can help.

Who are we:

The Yukon Conservation Data Centre (CDC ) is a member of
a network of data centres and Natural Heritage Programs
around the world, coordinated by NatureServe International.

What we do:
The Yukon CDC gathers, maintains, and distributes
information on animals, plants, and ecological communities
at risk or of conservation concern in Yukon.

Why do we do it?
Accurate information about species and ecosystems at risk
is essential to the effectively manage, conserve, and protect
our natural resources. The Yukon CDC provides a central,
reliable, and continually updated source for this information.

For free distribution only.

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