Winter 2010 - Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan

Vol. 15, No. 4Weird plantsNative flowerscan have areal wild sideBy Ch e t Ne u f e l dNPSS Executive DirectorIt’s no secret that I lovenative plants, and while theyare all nice in their own way,the ones I really like are theunusual ones.Most often, they have unusualadaptations such as beingable to trap and digest insects asour native sundews and pitcherplants do, or possessing ornateflowers like our native orchidsdo.But sometimes even common,“ordinary looking” nativeplants get a weird streak inthem. Whether it’s geneticallyinduced or the result ofa fungus, local conditions orsomething totally unexplainable,sometimes nice plants doweird things.For some reason or another,2010 was a very good year tofind weird plants. Not only didI find some of my own, but Ialso had many photos of weirdplants sent to me.Continued on Pages 4 & 5photo by chet neufeldA double-bloomed gaillardia (Gaillardia aristata) withthe blossoms facing back to back.photos by Bob Godwin (left) and Paul Panton (right)(Above left) Pink western spiderwort (Tradescantiaoccidentalis). (Above right) Pale yellow spottedwestern red lily (Lilium philadelphicum var. andinum).Winter 2010Celebratingforests atNPSS AGMJoin the Native Plant Society ofSaskatchewan in celebrating its 16thyear by attending our annual generalmeeting on Feb. 11 and 12 at Saskatoon’sTCU Place.The AGM gives people a chanceto learn about native plants andhabitats, meet like-minded peopleand have some fun! This year,we’re are also celebrating 2011 asthe International Year of Forests byfocusing on the northern half of ourprovince, an often-overlooked butvitally important area both for ourenvironmental, economic and socialwell-being.This year there’s an added bonusas we will be screening the winnersfrom the United Nations InternationalForest Film Festival.Submissions came in fromaround the globe from many wellknownfilmmakers and were judgedby a panel of experts. The winnerswill be shown at the premiere at theUN headquarters in New York inFebruary, after which they will besent to us. We are the only venue inSaskatchewan for this prestigiousevent. Secure your spot at thescreening by registering early as theContinued on Page 62Nursery stillin need ofsome care3Rare Plant6New forest7Rescue had aconservationgood 2010agreement signedIs imitatingnative prairiethe way to go?1

NPSS BoardPresident:Tara Sample 777-9137Past-PresidentMichael Champion 780-6850Vice-President:John Hauer 463-5507Treasurer:Cheri Sykes 924-8007Secretary:Sarah James 787-7603Directors:Leanne Heisler 347-0447 ext. 225Jennifer Lohmeyer 787-8707Margaret Put 921-6361Kerry Hecker 836-2022Shelley Heidinger 634-9771Tara Mulhern Davidson 778-5006Executive Director:Chet Neufeld 668-3940Newsletter Editor:David Freeman 791-0047of DirectorsNPSS Address:Native Plant Society of SaskatchewanP.O. Box 21099, Saskatoon, SK S7H 5N9Phone: (306) 668-3940 Fax: (306) 668-3940E-mail: info@npss.sk.ca Website: www.npss.sk.caNative Plant News is a quarterly publication of the Native PlantSociety of Saskatchewan (NPSS) and is one of the benefits ofmembership. Members are invited to submit articles, news,views, photographs and comments. Views expressed by theauthors are not necessarily those of the NPSS.Deadlines: Submission PublicationWinter Issue: november 1 December 15Spring Issue: february 1 March 15Summer Issue: May 1 June 15Fall Issue: august 1 September 15Membership Dues (Year End November 30 th )Individual $30Family $45Student/Low Income $15Corporate $200Life $500Please contact the NPSS office for information about thelifetime membership instalment payment option.2The nurseryneeds your helpBy Ta r a Sa m p l eNPSS PresidentSeveral years ago I was invited to a buffalo stomp as partof a small native grassland restoration project at an elementaryschool in Regina. It was a chilly afternoon, but youwouldn’t have known that from the expressions on the facesof the students. They were far too caught up in the excitementof playing the role that bison did long ago. For many,this was likely their first genuine connection with the plantlife native to the place they call home.It was a beautiful thing to witness and something that hashappened many times since thanks to seeds collected from theRegina Plain Native Prairie Seed Nursery.I think a lot about that day as I contemplate the future ofthe nursery.Like many conservation initiatives, the upkeep of thenursery is largely dependent on the interest and commitmentof those who volunteer to help and those who fund itsexistence. Resources like the nursery require a lot of workand money to operate, and in recent years it has fallen intodisrepair because of shortfalls of each.Last summer a group of dedicated volunteers workedhard to start bringing the nursery back to its former condition.Weeding, as many know, is a thankless job at the bestof times – even in your own backyard – but these wonderfulpeople cheerfully gave up their free time to do it.Thank you for your dedication, sacrifice and support!After the dust settled at the final clean up this fall, I wasamazed at how much had been accomplished.However, there is still a great deal to be done and sadlyresources are tighter than ever.We enter 2011 facing the reality that no summer studentor paid help will be available to spend a few hours a weektaking care of the nursery as we’ve had in the past. Thiscould jeopardize the progress we’ve made so far, whichwould be a shame.If you know of any business or organization that mighthave an interest in the nursery or be able to provide this typeof in-kind support, please let us know or have them contact us.And please, if you have time to spare, I urge you to comeout to a weeding bee this summer. And if you know someonethat might like to help, bring them along. Spread the word,non-members are always welcome.Alternatively, consider donating to the nursery yourself. Alittle goes a long way. Or if you know of a business, organizationor other entity who has an interest in this kind ofproject, have them contact Chet Neufeld to discuss sponsorshipor other donation options.Let’s hope we can keep the progress we’re making withthe Regina Plain Native Prairie Seed Nursery going so futuregenerations of children too might find that connection to theprairie I witnessed.

Rare Plant Rescue:Notes from the fieldRare Plant Rescue Field Crew on a survey during the summer.By Melissa Ra n a l l iRare Plant Rescue Coordinator,Nature SaskatchewanConsidering the challenges createdby Saskatchewan’s rainy spring andsummer, Rare Plant Rescue (RPR) had avery successful 2010 field season.The excessive amount of rain delayedour work schedule slightly, however, thesearch and monitoring crews still found aconsiderable number of rare plants. Withour stewards’ participation, RPR wasable to search for rare plant occurrencesin Burstall, Caron, the Eyebrow Plain,the Coteau Hills, the Estevan area andthe Elbow and Dundurn sand hills. Themonitoring crew also found rare plantson some of the sites we monitored thisyear, bringing the total number of newrare plant occurrences to 128 for 2010!While all the rain was a curse tomany, slender mouse-ear-cress (Transberingiabursifolia ssp. virgata) is onespecies that seems to have benefitedfrom this year’s moist conditions.Compared to 2009, slender mouse-earcresshad a considerably better showing in2010. One of our most surprising discoveriesthis summer was a new slendermouse-ear-cress population found north ofMoose Jaw during the RPR search crew’straining. This was quite a find since slendermouse-ear-cress had not previouslybeen found east of Riverhurst.The worldof rare plants is full of excitement!One interesting site along the SouthSaskatchewan River that RPR was monitoringthis year supported a large populationof small-flowered sand-verbena(Tripterocalyx micranthus) that was foundin 2009. By revisiting this site severaltimes, we found that while hundreds of3photo by Melissa Ranalliseedlings were present in early June, bylate June high water levels had flooded thelow-lying plants along the shore and sandmovement had covered a portion of theindividuals growing higher on the banks.Little is known about the biology ofsmall-flowered sand-verbena so the effectof this type of event on populationsis not known.While conducting monitoring workat the river site, we also came acrosssmooth goosefoot (Chenopodium subglabrum),a threatened species, and acollection of small-flowered sand-verbenafruits. The latter was a particularly fortunate,incidental discovery since thesefruits are easily picked up and blown bythe wind or covered by blowing sand.The RPR search crew was onceagain pleasantly surprised by a findwhile searching for western spiderwort(Tradescantia occidentalis) in DouglasProvincial Park in July. The crew founda western spiderwort plant with fourpetals instead of the typical three, andindividuals with pink flowers instead ofthe common purple colour (see “Weirdplants” on the cover of this issue).In the Estevan area, the buffalograss(Buchloë dactyloides) search activitieswere just as successful as the rest of thissummer’s work. The search crew foundbuffalograss on nearly every quartersection of land searched! The crew wasfortunate to see horses on several parcelsof land, including one pair grazingon a patch of buffalograss – living proofthat buffalograss thrives with grazing.If you would like to know more aboutRPR, or have any comments or questionsregarding the RPR program, please feelfree to contact me any time at (306) 780-9417 or by emailing rpr@naturesask.ca.UpcomingEventsJanuary 2011Native Prairie Speaker SeriesWednesday, Jan. 19Royal Saskatchewan MuseumAuditoriumRegina, Sask.Technical: 12:15 to 12:50 p.m.Dr. Paul James: Ecological Goodsand Services.Public: 7 to 8 p.m.Dr. Howard Wheater: Water Sustainability.www.pcap-sk.orgFebruary 2011Native Prairie Restorationand Reclamation WorkshopFeb. 16 and 17Conexus Arts Centre,Jacqui Shumiatcher RoomRegina, Sask.Presented by the Saskatchewan PrairieConservation Action Plan. Registrationcloses Feb. 9. Call 306-352-0472 for moredetails.www.pcap-sk.orgNative Prairie Speaker SeriesWednesday, Feb. 23University of Saskatchewan,Agriculture Building Rm. 2E17Saskatoon, Sask.Technical: 12:15 to 12:50 p.m.Renny Grilz: Status of ConservationEasements in Saskatchewan and Alberta.Public: 7 to 8 p.m.Chet Neufeld: Invasive PlantIssues in Urban Areas.www.pcap-sk.orgMarch 2011CLRA Alberta Chapter 2011 AGM andConference: Chasing the BarMarch 2 to 4Capri Hotel and Conference CentreRed Deer, Alta.Conference will explore the meaningof Chasing the Bar as it reflects on thereclamation industry.Registration deadline is Feb. 1. Formore, call 403-289-9435.www.clra.cawww. CapriCentre.comTo submit your native plantrelated event to our eventslist, send your information(including date, contact,phone number and location)to info@npss.sk.ca.

Nature can have a weird streakContinued from Page 1Many of the photos I received thisyear are of Saskatchewan’s provincialflower, the western red lily (Liliumphiladelphicum var. andinum). If any ofyou have read Prairie Phoenix by AnnaLeighton and Bonnie Lawrence, you’llknow that the western red lily is highlyvariable in its appearance. It can rangein colour from deep red to bright yellow,have varying amounts of spots in thethroat of the flower, and possess differentamounts and shapes of petals (technicallycalled tepals when dealing with thewestern red lily, but that’s another story).While the western red lily has itsshare of oddities, there are many othernative plants out there that also tend togo awry from time to time.Western spiderwort (Tradescantiaoccidentalis), a threatened plant listedin the Species at Risk Act, is anotherplant that can sometimes show somevariation. While conducting rare plantsurveys on a population of western spiderwort,I stumbled on a pink-floweredspecimen. Typically the flowers area deep blue-purple, but this one hadbright pink blossoms. Others have foundsimilar specimens (see front cover) inthe same area, although it is uncertainwhether or not it was the same plant.In another location, a plant was foundthat was the right colour but had fourpetals instead of the normal three (seephotos on the right). It also had an extrastamen (they usually only have six).Also this summer, I found a sunflower(Helianthus spp.) in the sand dunesof the Dundurn AESB pasture duringphoto by chet neufledThese sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) were found near Dundurn, Sask. The flower on theright has roughly half the number of petals and is lighter in colour, while the floweron the left is normal. Interestingly, both flowers were growing on the same plant!photo by Bob GodwinThis is a typical western spiderwort(Tradescantia occidentalis) specimen.the NPSS Rare Plant Survey TechniquesCourse. The flower on the right (top ofpage) has roughly half the number ofpetals and is lighter in colour, while theflower on the left is the “normal” specimen.Interestingly, both of these flowerswere growing on the same plant!photo by Jennifer RumancikThis specimen of western spiderworthas an extra petal and stamen.Some species of flowering plantsthat more commonly have a colourfulflower also have an uncommon, whitefloweredform. While at the MauriceStreet Nature Sanctuary near Nipawin,Continued on Page 5photos by Paul PantonThis lily has the typical colouring, butis missing the spots on the inner part ofthe tepal.photo by Candace NeufeldThis is a normal specimen of the westernred lily (Lilium philadelphicum var. andinum)– including six tepals, the right orangecolouring and the typical spotting.4photo courtesy of Nature SaskatchewanThis specimen also has the typicalcolouring and spots, but sports twoextra tepals and two extra stamens.

Continued from Page 4photo by David FreemanA mountain lady’s slipper (Cypripedium montanum) in Cypress Hills InterprovincialPark was found with part of the slipper formed into a sepal.I stumbled across a white form of earlyblue violet (Viola adunca var. adunca),which, as its name suggests, is typicallyblue to purple (below).Another native plant that can havewhite flowers is blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchiummontanum). Again, as itsname suggests, it normally has blue topurple-coloured flowers. Occasionallythough, I’ll find a washed-out or evenwhite-flowered blue-eyed grass. In fact,this year I found a white-flowered blueeyedgrass growing in my lawn. I onlyhave the typical blue-eyed grass plantedin my yard, so it will be interesting tosee what happens next year.Another wildflower that can have oddflowers is gaillardia (Gaillardia aristata).While I’ve never seen a variation in flowercolour, I’ve seen many different types offlowering heads. The photo on the covershows a double-bloomed gaillardia, withthe blossoms facing back to back. What away to increase your chances of pollination!I wonder if the seeds will be viableand, if so, whether they will produce adouble-bloom plant. It seems very unlikely,but this is typically how new speciesstart, so you never know.Another native flower that has shownhigh variation is black-eyed susan(Rudbeckia hirta). I’ve seen specimensthat have unusually large flowers (up to5 times the size) that are contorted intovarious shapes, some curling back onthemselves to form a ring. The stems onthese are also typically deformed, havingwide, ribbon-like stems (only 2 to 3mm thick but up to 5 cm wide).While on the NPSS annual summerfield tour in the Cypress Hills InterprovincialPark in July, participants found theabove mountain lady’s-slipper (Cypripediummontanum). Sometime during theformation of its flower, the slipper part ofthe flower and one of the sepals remained5This whiteform of earlyblue violet(Viola aduncavar. adunca)was found atthe MauriceStreet NatureSanctuarynear Nipawin.As its namesuggests, istypically blueto purple incolour, notwhite.photo byChet Neufeldjoined, preventing the slipper from fullyforming. However, it appears that not onlydid the sepal form (the green wavy edgeon the white slipper), but another fullyformed sepal grew in its place, perhapstriggered to grow by the failure to split.As you can see, native plants trulycan do weird and wonderful things.Keep your eyes open and you too mightfind one of these natural wonders.If you’ve found an odd-lookingflower, tell us about it. If you have aphoto, even better! We can post thephotos on our Facebook page and evenrun another article on them if we getenough submissions.To submit your sightings and stories,contact Chet at info@npss.sk.ca or call(306) 668-3940.

Important forestconservationagreement signedEarlier this year, 21 companiesof the Forest Products Associationof Canada (FPAC), and nine leadingenvironmental organizations,unveiled an unprecedented agreement– the Canadian Boreal ForestAgreement. The agreement appliesto 72 million hectares of publicforests licensed to FPAC members.The agreement, when fully implemented,will conserve significantareas of Canada’s vast boreal forest,protect threatened woodland caribouand provide a competitive marketedge for participating companies.Under the Agreement FPACmembers, who manage two-thirdsof all certified forest land in Canada,commit to the highest environmentalstandards of forest managementwithin an area twice the size of Germany.Conservation groups committo global recognition and support forFPAC member efforts. The agreementcalls for the suspension of new loggingon nearly 29 million hectares ofboreal forest to develop conservationplans for endangered caribou, whilemaintaining essential fibre supplies foruninterrupted mill operations.The agreement identifies explicitcommitments for both sides and setsout a plan, which includes:• The development and implementationof world-leading forest managementand harvesting practices;• The completion of joint proposalsfor networks of protected areasand the recovery of species at risk,including woodland caribou;• A full life cycle approach toforest carbon management; and• Support for the economic futureof forest communities and for therecognition of conservation achievementsin the global marketplace.Signatories have begun meetingswith provincial governments, FirstNations and communities across thecountry to seek their leadership andfull participation in advancing thegoals of the agreement.Go to the www.canadianborealforestagreement.com to read thefull press release.AGM to feature forest filmsContinued from Page 1public will also be invited to attend.In addition to the International ForestFilm Festival, we have an all-star lineupof speakers who will discuss manyimportant and interesting forest-relatedtopics. Please read the AGM agenda(attached seperately) for a timelineof events and presentations.You’llKeynote address: Nature Quest– Saskatchewan’s Boreal ForestJohn Murray will take theaudience on a journey through ourboreal forest and discuss importantfacts, such as: the world’s forestsare disappearing; Saskatchewan’sboreal forest presents a large andhealthy habitat of wildlife but itslong-term health is at risk; large,linked protected areas are a keyaspect of maintaining wildlifehabitat; and that the public has arole to play in supporting conservationinitiatives. In addition, Johnwill show examples of some of theeducation initiatives carried out inclassrooms and in the forest by theNature Quest team.John Murray is a Silvicultureconsultant with over 30 years ofexperience in various capacitieswithin the forestry industry inSaskatchewan and Alberta.Eco-buffersAn alternative planting design,termed an Ecological buffer(Eco-buffer) is being evaluated anddemonstrated for its ability to besuccessfully integrated into currentfarming systems, while providingdesired economic and ecologicalgoals. Eco-buffers are describedas a new shelterbelt design thatincorporates a variety of nativetrees and shrubs in a narrow, denseconfiguration that captures thesite quickly, reducing the needfor long-term weed control. Thispresentation, by Janna Lutz – anAgroforestry Specialist with theAgroforestry Development Centre(formerly Shelterbelt Centre), Agricultureand Agri-food Canada –6will focus on the history, research,design considerations and benefitsof Eco-buffers, with examples ofcurrent demonstration projects.Endemic Vascular Plant Speciesin the Athabasca Sand Dunes ofNorthern SaskatchewanThe Athabasca Sand Dunesof northern Saskatchewan forma dynamic landscape, housing10 endemic plant species, eachpossessing unique traits allowingfor survival amongst their habitat.Occupancy surveys were conductedfor these endemic vascular plantspecies in Athabasca Sand DunesWilderness Provincial Park duringthe summers of 2009 and 2010.The objective of this survey wasto document the distribution andabundance of the endemic vascularflora of the Athabasca Sand Dunes.The presetation by Digit Guedo willbe an overview of the study areaand endemic species, as well as fieldoperations including a discussion ofthe range of areas surveyed, habitatclassification and sampling methods.notice that due to the popularity of ourworkshop component last year, we havedecided to hold another workshop. Thetopic this year is “Techniques for CreatingBackyard Habitat.”Ready to register? Fill out the attachedregistration form or visit theNPSS website (www.npss.sk.ca) to printout the full agenda and registration.16th annual NPSS AGM speakersGuedo is a graduate student inthe Department of Plant Sciences atthe University of Saskatchewan.Restoration and Maintenanceof Fescue Grasslands in PrinceAlbert National ParkJeff Weir, the Prince AlbertNational Park Fire/Vegetation Specialist,will talk about key issues thatthreaten the long term maintenanceof fescue grasslands in Prince AlbertNational Park. He will describe howthe park plans to address these issuesand will provide real examples ofactivities that are currently underway.A Sensitive Slope: Forest RecoveryAfter Fire in a Changing ClimateForests are composed of longlivedplants capable of toleratinghigh levels of environmental stress.As a result, forests may show a lotof inertia in responding to changingenvironmental conditions, such asthose brought on by recent climatechange. Instead of gradual change,resilience theory predicts that weshould see punctuated changes inforest communities that are triggeredby disturbance. In this talk, Dr.Jill Johnstone will present resultsfrom a recent fire near Whitehorse,Yukon (the 1998 Fox Lake fire) andexamine patterns of forest recoveryin light of resilience theory. Dr.Johnstone is an assistant professor atthe University of Saskatchewan.Field Guide to the Ecosites of Saskatchewan’sProvincial ForestsThe ecosystems of Saskatchewan’sprovincial forestshave recently been classified anddescribed in a field guide that coversthe province’s four ecozones: TaigaShield, Boreal Shield, Boreal Plain,and Prairie. The ecosystems arerepresented at the site level with 81ecosites. Each ecosite is describedon a fact sheet that provides a summaryof the site attributes includingcharacteristic vegetation, speciesrichness, soil conditions, and muchmore. The classification is the resultof almost 10 years of field surveysand scientific analysis. The presentationwill be provided by MichaelMcLaughlan, R.P.F., a registeredprofessional forester and a forestecologist with the SaskatchewanMinistry of Environment.

Native prairie – worth imitating?A look intonative vs.introducedgrass speciesBy Mi c h a e l Sc h e l l e n b e r gSPARC Research ScientistIf you were to imitate native prairie,what elements would you need forsuccessfully-functioning grassland?First, when you think of nativeprairie, two things immediately jumpto mind: grass and biodiversity. Withregards to grass, the first issue is whichgrasses do you use?Within agricultural systems, individualshave argued introduced speciesare more productive but more recentthinking is questioning this assumption.Many of the comparisons have beenmade between newly-seeded introducedspecies and undisturbed prairie, which isnot a true comparison.In order to be a true comparison,access to resources should be the same.But in this case, for example, the soilenvironment is not equal. New seedlings(typically introduced species) areusually established on recently disturbedsoils with limited competition in theroot zone that allows the seedlings freeaccess to resources such as nitrogen andwater. Well established undisturbed nativeprairie, however, often has limitednitrogen and water due to the fact rootsystems of established plants have fullyexplored the soil and captured much ofthe free resources.The second item is the number ofspecies.When people consider seedingplants, be they for annual crop production,lawns or forage, they tend to seeda single plant species. The question iswhether this is appropriate or just thesimplest choice?Experts have argued the benefits ofmultiple species for increased production.Also, an increased number of plantspecies will provide a larger number ofphoto by Michael schellenbergThese long-term multi-species native grass test plots at the semi-arid PrairieAgriculture Research Centre in Swift Current will give researchers insight into thenuances of prairie dynamics.forage choices for the foraging animalto meet its nutritional needs.In fact, if the combination is correctyou could get both good productionand nutrition. Grass/legume combinationshave been shown to provide bothan increase in plant material as wellas increasing nutritive quality at somepoint during the growing season. At theSemiarid Prairie Agricultural ResearchCentre (SPARC) we have shown bycombining a native forage shrub with alegume that you get an increase in plantmaterial equal or greater than whengrown alone.But is there an advantage to havingcombinations of species of the sameplant type (ie. grasses or legumes orshrubs)?One would expect there to be anadvantage to a mixture of plant speciesif they rooted at different depths, andmatured at different rates. The plantswithin these mixtures would potentiallyaccess resources, like water, differentlyand potentially decrease the fight for theresource between the plant species.In 2001 at SPARC we set out to seeif this is what would happen. Native andintroduced grass species were seeded inmixtures of introduced or native grassesand as single species. The species usedwere crested wheatgrass (Agropyron7cristatum), Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachysjunceus), green needle grass(Nasella viridula), western wheatgrass(Pascopyrum smithii) and switch grass(Panicum virgatum).After 4 years of growth and datacollection we noted a couple things.The first was that native species, overthe four year period, produced statisticallythe same biomass as the introducedspecies. This is contrary to popularthought. Secondly, the mixture producedsignificantly more plant material thansingle species.These grass species differ in maturityrates and root depth. Additional workby a graduate student has determineddifferent micro-organism communitiesassociated with grasses which differaccording to depth and over time.So, there is a benefit to having differingspecies of the same plant grouping;in this example, grasses seeded as mixturesinstead of as single species. Alsoin this case, the simpler seeding mixdid not provide an advantage for plantmaterial production. Benefits of diversifyingplant species within a plant typeand with additional plant types suchas legumes or shrubs can be realized.Ongoing work at SPARC is identifyingcharacteristics of native prairie worthimitating.

Did you know?The National Seed Herbariumhas found a home in SaskatoonCorporate Members and Partnersphoto courtesy of the National seed HerbariumAn example of one of the many specimens in the collection.The National Seed Herbarium is a well-organized, comprehensivecollection with representative seeds from aroundthe globe. And it now resides in Saskatoon.On Jan. 17, 2008, the completion of the move of theNational Seed Herbarium (NSH) from Ottawa to its newhome at the Seed Science and Technology Section (SSTS)of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Saskatoonlaboratory was celebrated.The NSH is the largest seed taxonomic herbarium in Canadaand an essential resource for Canadian seed analysts, plant healthinspectors and even archaeologists to confirm plant species byseed identifications. Herbarium specimens are used to compareto unknown seeds and to represent a verification standard.The task of managing the NSH, its holdings and new accessions,is now in the hands of the NSH curator, Dr. RuojingWang, and the herbarium technologist, Jennifer Neudorf.The National Seed Herbarium is believed to have startedin the early 1920’s as a part of the Federal Department ofAgriculture, but the exact date is not known. Seed specimenshave been added steadily over the years. Many of the newspecimens have come from large botanical gardens withBerlin, Germany being a major source.The current holdings of the Herbarium are approximately20,000 specimens of 14,000 unique species, representing 239families and 3,279 genera. The oldest specimen is an 1869sample of Larkspur seed (Delphinium bicolor) received in1905 from Utah.The CFIA, Saskatoon laboratory, is excited to be the caretakerof this important Canadian resource, and looks forwardto enhancing the collection and increasing the knowledge ofseed morphology and biology to better meet the regulatoryneeds for seeds and pest plant species. To learn more aboutthe NSH, email SSTS@inspection.gc.ca.RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan Inc.P.O. Box 21099Saskatoon, SK S7H 5N9TO:Canada Publication Mail Agreement #400359098