Status Key
Not at Risk
Special Concern
Threatened
Endangered
Extirpated
Extinct
Who’s at Risk?
There are a number of vital plant species facing terrible danger. From disease to droughts, construction to cultivation, many factors are making living much more difficult to our province’s native flora. Read on below to learn more about a few of these plants.
Prairies At Risk
Click to learn more about the ecosystems and biospheres that all species of plant and animal in Saskatchewan rely on to survive.
Buffalo Grass
- Drought-Tolerant, makes good Turfgrass for lawns
- Settlers used its dense Sod* to build sod houses
- Susceptible to a Fungal Disease which causes a loss of yield and reduced seed germination
*Sod is soil held together tightly by grass roots, it has insulating properties and is very sturdy for making walls which will stand for a number of years.
Slender Mouse-Ear Cress
- Biennial* plant in the Mustard Family
- Threatened by agricultural development, oil and gas activities, alteration to fire regimes, invasive species, sand and gravel extraction
*Biennial plants live for 2 years, bloom and reproduce in their second year and then die
Sand Verbena
- Grows mostly on dry sandy soil
- Scientific name is Abronia Micrantha
- Other Abronia sub-species come in colours such as Yellow and White
- The stout, sweet root can be boiled and eaten as a Root Vegetable
Silky Prairie Clover
Used for Medicinal purposes by the Lakota Tribe. A decoction made from the root of the plant was used as a Laxative and the leaves and blossoms were consumed to Reduce Throat Swelling.
- It is a Legume, like Peas and Peanuts
- Grows in dry, sandy, sparsely-vegetated Prairies and Woodlands
- Very popular food for almost every grazing or foraging animal who finds it
Small White Lady’s Slipper
Habitat loss due to fragmentation, suppression of fire, invasive species, changes in hydrology, loss of pollinators, and environmental challenges all responsible for its decline. It also has a low seed set caused by often unpollinated flowers. Because of this, it has died off entirely in Saskatchewan.
- Like many other Wild Orchids, it has also been endangered by collectors trying (and failing) to cultivate it
- The seeds are Fire-Resistant and grow well in charred soil
- Grows best in Calcareous soil (soil high in lime or chalk)
