Queen's Cup
Clintonia uniflora
Description: Perennial from slender creeping rhizomes, stems are mostly underground. Leaves are in basal rosettes of 2-3 (usually 3), they are 7-20cm long, elliptic shaped; they are slightly fleshy and shiny green with a hairy margin. The large cup shaped white flowers are usually solitary, on a long stalk, produces metallic blue berries.
Ecology: Grows in moist forests and forest openings or clearings at low to subalpine elevations.
Notes: This one was found in the Caren Range, a high elevation forest. It was at the base of the stump of a 1000+ year old cypress that had been fallen and left to rot, the picture was taken in June, 2001. Bottom picture from September 2006 in Dakota Bowl showing its fruit.
False Lily of The Valley
Maianthemum dilatatum
Description: Perennial from slender, branched creeping rhizomes, 10-40cm tall with 1-3 broadly heart-shaped, alternate leaves that are smooth and glossy green and grow up to 10cm long. Flowers are small and white, in 4 parts, in a terminally cylindrical cluster, delicate fragrance. Produces small round green and mottled brown berries that turn red with age.
Ecology: Grows in moist, generally shady woods, streambanks, at low to middle elevations. Becomes a dominant groundcover in some Sitka spruce forests near the sea.
Notes: These were found in a shady forested area next to Wakefield Creek in Sechelt, BC.
Wild Tiger Lily
Lilium columbianum
Description: a beautiful bright orange lily with deep-red or purple spots concentrated near the center, nodding flowers have petals that are curved backwards, almost touching the stem at the flower base, flowers in groups of few to many. Leaves are narrow and lance-shaped 4-10cm long in whorls of 6-9 on the stem. Produce barrel-shaped capsules with low ridges.
Ecology: Found in meadows, thickets, open forests and clearings from low to subalpine elevations.
Notes: This one was one of several Tiger Lilies found growing on a tiny island in a mountain lake I named Tiger Lily Island, they are found blooming there in July, this picture from July 6, 2003.
Fool's Onion
Brodiaea hyacinthina
Description: Perennial from a round 2cm corm, grows 40-70cm tall, with 1-2 slender (to 1cm) grass-like basal leaves, often nearly as long as the flower. Flowers are white or bluish white with a green mid-vein. The bell-shaped flowers are in large clusters on top of 3-5 bracts.
Ecology: Grows in open grassy areas at all elevations.
Notes: This one was found on the edge of a med-high elevation bog, growing with numerous grasses and some peat moss. Other specimens have been found at sea level on rocky, grassy bluffs.
Harvest Brodiaea
Brodiaea coronaria
Description: Perennial from a round 2cm corm, grows 20 to 30cm tall, with 1-3 very slender grass like basal leaves that are dried out by the time the flowers appear. Violet purple coloured flowers are 2-4cm long, vase shaped and in loose umbels of 2-5 (up to 10) flowers.
Ecology: Grows in open grassy areas at low elevations.
Notes: This one was found on a rocky, grassy, and mossy bluff in West Sechelt, not far from the sea.
Rosy Twistedstalk
Streptopus roseus
Description: Perennial from slender rhizomes, unbranched stems not conspicuously bent or twisted, 15-30cm tall. There are sparse hairs at the nodes, leaves are shiny green oval-ellpitic 5-9cm long with hairy margins. Rose coloured flowers with white tips on curved stalks coming from leaf axils. Produces red round or oblong berries.
Ecology: Grows in moist forests and forest openings, streambanks, etc at low to subalpine elevations.
Notes: The top picture was taken in Porpoise Bay Provincial Park, at sea level, in a moist mixed forest near a stream. These flowers were a greenish yellow with reddish streaks in them, just a colour variation, more commonly as described above. June 2001. The bottom picture showing the plant in berry was taken next to Chapman Creek, low elevation, July 2003.
Star - Flowered False Solomon's Seal
Smilacina stellata
Description: Perennial from slender rhizomes, unbranched stems are 20-60cm tall. Lance-shaped leaves are alternate, 5-15cm long with prominent veins and hairless margins. Creamy white star shaped flowers are small, with 5-10 in a short unbranched terminal cluster. Produces greenish yellow fruits with 3-6 purple stripes, changes to dark blue or reddish when mature.
Ecology: Grows in moist forests as well as meadows. Found from low to occasionally very high elevations, common.
Notes: This one was found at low elevation on a slightly shady and moist logging road on the backside of Mount Elphinstone while in flower in May 2006.
Indian Hellebore
Veratrum viride
Description: A very large perennial from 70cm to 2m tall on unbranched stems from short, stout erect rhizomes. 10-30cm long leaves are very broad and elliptic with prominent ribs and a hairy underside. Star shaped pale green flowers in a thin branched terminal cluster with drooping tassels, musky odour.
Ecology: Found in moist or wet meadows, bogs, swamps, thickets, and open forests. Found from low elevations to alpine meadows but most abundant in subalpine elevations in cold wet meadows and swamp sides.
Notes: The top photo was from a cold wet shady roadside at high elevation in the Caren Range mountains Aug 2002. The bottom photo was taken while in flower in the Tetrahedron in August 2006. WARNING: This is by far one of the most violently poisonous plants indigenous to British Columbia. Even drinking water with Hellebore growing it in can cause stomach cramps, blurred vision, lock jaw, vomiting, diarrhea, and frothing at the mouth. This plant has been respected and revered by native peoples for millennia. It was used as a very powerful (but potentially very dangerous never try to use this plant) medicine to cure almost any disease or illness from kidney and bladder problems, colds and toothache to tuberculosis.
Sticky False Asphodel
Tofieldia glutinosa
Description: Perennial with basal, sheathing, iris-like leaves that are half as long as the 10-40cm tall stems. Stems are sticky glandular-hairy above and smooth below, small white or greenish flowers in dense terminal clusters, characteristic reddish-purple capsules that remain for a long time.
Ecology: Fairly common in open bogs, wet meadows, fens and streambanks from low to alpine elevations.
Notes: This is a common species of most open bogs (those lacking too much tree cover) on the Sunshine Coast, often found growing side by side with Round Leaved Sundew and Sweet Gale in amongst the Sphagnum Mosses. This one was taken on a "floating bog" in Klein Lake this bog was simply an old cedar that had been felled and left in the lake many years ago, the acidic wood and the abundant moisture make perfect conditions for a small mini-bog to form on top of the log. Picture from August 2002.
White Fawn Lily
Erythronium oregonum
Description: a pretty perennial lily that grows up to 30cm tall from a segmented corm. It has paired lance-shaped basal leaves that are mottled in color with brownish and whitish. Flowers are white with their tepals bent backwards, they are usually single, terminal and nodding, flowering specimens’ bulbs are usually buried 10cm or more deep and they prefer not to be disturbed.
Ecology: prefers well drained, open areas as well as more dense rocky wooded areas, found only at lower elevations in southwestern coastal BC and the east coast of Vancouver Island.
Notes: These ones were growing on a small rocky bluff under some coniferous trees in a friend’s backyard, April 2004 photo.
Lyrae has a BSc in Environmental Sciences and studies biological diversity in BC, she is also the founder of Lyrae's Naturals, manufacturer of a wide range of all natural body and bath products, please visit her other website below:
This page was last updated on: March 16, 2007
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children
Lily Family
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100% of all proceeds are used to support Biodiversity research in BC.
100% of all proceeds are used to support Biodiversity research in BC.
100% of all proceeds are used to support Biodiversity research in BC.
100% of all proceeds are used to support Biodiversity research in BC.
