Browse "Plants"

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is an annual (potentially perennial) herbaceous plant of the nightshade family.

Although Canada's tobacco industry has developed largely during this century, tobacco growing goes back to early colonial days, when settlers around the St Lawrence River adopted the smoking customs of aboriginal peoples. French settlers began by copying the agricultural model set by the Indians.

Touch-me-not, or Jewelweed, are common names for family of herbaceous plants (Balsaminaceae) of which Impatiens is the principal genus. The genus name derives from the fact that a ripe seed capsule, when touched, explodes violently, projecting seed some distance.

The treeline is controlled by CLIMATE in interaction with SOIL. In the North, it is correlated generally with the modal (most common) position of the southern edge of the arctic front in summer, and with such temperature indices as the July 10°C isotherm.

Trees are single-stemmed, perennial, woody plants taller than 3 m and exceeding 8 cm in diameter at breast height; shrubs are multistemmed and smaller. These definitions are somewhat arbitrary, since many species (eg, willow, alder, cherry, maple) can grow as trees or shrubs, depending on the environment. Counting the 30-odd shrubs that assume tree form under favourable conditions, there are about 140 native Canadian trees.

Trillium, common and generic name of a perennial plant of the Trilliaceae family (sometimes classified as a subfamily of the LILY family). The name derives from the arrangement of leaves, petals and sepals in groups of 3. The

Indigenous peoples have used over a thousand different plants for food, medicine, materials, and in cultural rituals and mythology.

A vegetable is a herbaceous plant of which all or a part is eaten, raw or cooked. Vegetables are a valuable source of protein, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and fibre. All vegetables are high in carbohydrates, which contribute to their unique taste.

​Vegetation regions are geographical areas characterized by distinct plant communities.

The Violet is a family (Violaceae) of annual or perennial herbaceous plants widely distributed throughout temperate and tropical regions. Tropical species may reach tree size. Roughly 500 species of genera Viola (violets, pansies) and Hybanthus (green violets) alone occur worldwide.

Walnut (Juglans), genus of trees of the walnut family (Juglandaceae). The roughly 15 known species are widely dispersed through temperate and tropical regions.

A large family of freshwater plants known as the water lily (Nymphaeaceae) is characterized by large, shield-shaped leaves and showy blossoms. They are mostly tropical or subtropical. Four genera and 9 species are native to Canada, of which 3 species are important.

Weeds are plants growing where humans do not want them.

Wild rice, a true grass (Zizania aquatica, family Gramineae or Poaceae), grows in marshlands and along waterways from Manitoba to the Atlantic Ocean in southern Canada, and over much of the eastern US.

There are approximately 4000 species of flowering plants in Canada, of which about 3000 may be considered wildflowers. About one-quarter of these have been introduced from other regions of the world.

Willow (Salix) is a genus of trees and shrubs of the willow family (Salicaceae). About 300 species occur worldwide, chiefly in the Northern Hemisphere.

Wintergreen is the common name for smooth, low-growing, woodland, herbaceous plants in genus Pyrola of the wintergreen family (Pyrolaceae). These plants were known to the Cree as "beaver's ears" because of their small, round, evergreen leaves. Nine of the 12 known species are native to Canada.

Witch Hazel is the common name for a family (Hamamelidaceae) of trees or shrubs and refers especially to members of the genus Hamamelis.

Yellowish disc florets (3-10) make up the central part, which is surrounded by 5 petal-shaped ray florets. They bloom from May to October. Yarrow has a dry, one-seeded fruit. Throughout the ages, yarrow has been used to stop blood flow, hence one common name, "nosebleed.

Yew is the common name for evergreen conifers, genus Taxus, of the yew family (Taxaceae).