AN ILLUSTRATED KEY TO THE ERICACEAE OF ALBERTA

AN ILLUSTRATED KEY TO THE ERICACEAE OF ALBERTA Compiled and written by Lorna Allen & Linda Kershaw February 2018 Linda J. Kershaw & Lorna Allen

This key was compiled using information primarily from Moss (1983), Douglas et. al. (1999a; 1999b) and the Flora North America Association (2009). Taxonomy follows VASCAN (Brouillet, 2015). The main references are listed at the end of the key. Please let us know if there are ways in which it can be improved. The 2015 S-ranks of rare species (S1; S1S2; S2; S2S3; SU, according to ACIMS, 2015) are noted in superscript ( S1;S2;SU ) after the species names. For more details go to the ACIMS web site. No exotic species in this family are known to be naturalized in AB.

4a 2a 6a 3a 5a 7a 7b ERICACEAE Heath Family Key to Genera 0 Plants white, yellow, red or brown (not green), without chlorophyll; leaves small or absent 02 01b Plants green, with chlorophyll; leaves present, usually well-developed....04 02a Flowering stalks pink to reddish or brownish, 20-80 cm tall, enlarged and bulb-like at the base, sticky with gland-tipped hairs; flowers numerous, in 10-30 cm long, elongating clusters (racemes); petals fused in an urnshaped corolla; anthers with 2 awns; capsules nodding.... Pterospora andromedea 02b Flowering stalks white or yellowish to orange or reddish, 10-30 cm tall, neither sticky nor with an enlarged base; flowers single or in small clusters; petals separate; anthers without awns; capsules erect....03 03a Stems waxy-white (rarely pink), blackish when dried; flowers 14-17 mm long, solitary; sepals similar to bracts; capsule segments stout, persistent....monotropa uniflora 03b Stems yellow, pink or reddish; flowers <14 mm long, few to many (rarely 1); sepals not similar to bracts; capsule segments thin, some shed with age....hypopitys monotropa...[monotropa hypopitys] 04a Leaves generally <10 mm long, needle-like or scale-like; fruits capsules or fleshy, black and berry-like (drupes); small shrubs....05 04b Leaves generally >10 mm long, neither needle-like nor scale-like; fruits not black and fleshy; herbs or shrubs, large or small....08 05a Sepals 3; petals (0)3; stamens 3; fruits black, berry-like drupes; leaves needle-like, attached in spirals or rings (whorls) Empetrum nigrum 05b Sepals 4-5; petals 4-5; stamens 5; fruits dry capsules; leaves alternate or opposite, not spirally arranged....06 06a Leaves paired (opposite), pressed to the stem, 2-6 mm long, scale like, not rolled under on the edges; flowers single in leaf axils; anthers awned, open at the tip by 2 pores..cassiope 06b Leaves paired or alternate, blades >5 mm long, with down-rolled edges; flowers clustered in leaf axils; anthers without awns, opening lengthwise or by pores at the tip....07 07a Leaves alternate, needle-like, 6-15 mm long; flowers spreading or nodding on long, slender stalks; stamens usually 10; anthers opening at the tip by 2 pores....phyllodoce 07b Leaves mostly paired, narrowly oval, 4-8 mm long; flowers erect on short stalks; stamen 5; anthers splitting open lengthwise.......kalmia procumbens S2...[Loiseleuria procumbens] 3

10a 12b 14a 16a 16b 9a 10b 13a 12a 08a Herbs or subshrubs; stems unbranched; leaves basal (or appearing so)....09 08b Shrubs or subshrubs; stems often branched; leaves alternate on the stem (rarely paired or whorled)....11 09a Flowers solitary, nodding, waxy white....... Moneses uniflora 09b Flowers (1)2-29, variously colored....10 10a Flowers turned to 1 side of stem, bell-shaped, radially symmetric, relatively inconspicuous; petals closed, 4-5 mm long, with 2 tiny, wartlike bumps at the base....orthilia secunda 10b Flowers arranged around the stem, saucershaped, somewhat bilaterally symmetric, usually showy; petals spreading, (4)5-7(8) mm long, without bumps at the base.... Pyrola 1 Petals separate or joined 1/4 their length; flowers few to many (rarely solitary) in umbrella-shaped clusters at stem tips; leaves green through the winter....12 11b Petals clearly fused, joined 1/3 their length; flowers at stem tips or in leaf axils; leaves wintergreen or shed in the fall...........13 12a Leaves usually in whorls of 3-5, lanceshaped, 2-7 cm long, hairless, with sharply toothed edges, shiny above, paler and smooth beneath....chimaphila umbellata 12b Leaves alternate, oblong to elliptic, 1-4(5) cm long, with smooth, usually down-rolled edges, dull above, resinous-scaly and/or hairy beneath.. Rhododendron (in part) [Ledum] 13a Flower parts attached above the ovaries; fruits fleshy berries....vaccinium 13b Flower parts attached below the ovaries; fruits fleshy or dry....14 14a Flowers solitary, on 0.5-3 mm stalks in leaf axils, often hidden by the leaves; fruits white or scarlet, berry-like capsules, each enclosed in a fleshy calyx; leaves aromatic when crushed... Gaultheria 14b Flowers in clusters (rarely solitary); fruits various, not as above; leaves not aromatic 15 15a Fruits berry-like drupes; stems creeping, sprawling or tufted; leaves broad and rounded at the tip, gradually tapered to a wedge-shaped base....16 15b Fruits capsules; stems erect or matted; leaves not as above, oval or elliptic to oblong or linear....17 16a Leaves turn bright red and are shed in autumn, thin, conspicuously veined, finely toothed; fruits juicy; branchlets hairless Arctous rubra...[arctostaphylos rubra] 16b Leaves evergreen, leathery, inconspicuously veined, smooth edged; fruits dry and mealy; branchlets hairy..arctostaphylos uva-ursi 4

18b 20a 20a 18a 19a 17a Leaves with a pale bluish-white coating (at least above), neither hairy nor scaly (sometimes with a few small hairs), rolled under along the edges....18 17b Leaves without a pale coating, hairy or scaly (sometimes densely so), with or without downrolled edges....19 18a Leaves paired (opposite), egg-shaped to oval, veins on upper surface not sunken and obvious; flowers saucer-shaped, 6-12 mm wide; anthers blunt-tipped, held in small pockets in the petals and springing free at maturity....kalmia (in part) 18b Leaves alternate, linear to narrowly elliptic with obvious, sunken veins on upper surface; flowers urn-shaped, 5-7 mm long; anthers tipped with 2 horns/bristles, free of the petals...andromeda polifolia 19a Leaves covered in silvery, brownish, straw to rust-coloured scales; flowers hairless (outside), turned to one side in elongating clusters (racemes) with leafy bracts; anthers tipped with 2 hollow tubules.......chamaedaphne calyculata 19b Leaves green, without scales; flowers densely hairy to hairless, in small, umbrella-shaped clusters; anthers without tubules....20 20a Leaves edged with small teeth, thin, shed in autumn; flowers urn-shaped, 6-10 mm long, with parts in 4s; bark shedding....... Menziesia ferruginea 20b Leaves smooth edged, thick and evergreen or thin and shed; flowers cup-shaped, 1-2 cm across, with parts in 5s; bark not shredding.....rhododendron (in part) 1b 1b CASSIOPE Mountain-heather (ka-sī-op-ē; ka-sē-op-ā) 0 Leaf blades deeply grooved on the back....... Cassiope tetragona 01b Leaf blades not grooved but keeled on the back....cassiope mertensiana GAULTHERIA Wintergreen (gol-thē-rē-a; gowl-tā-rē-a) 0 Stems densely covered in flat-lying straight, stiff, reddish hairs; leaf blades 3-10 mm long; flowers in 4 parts; anthers with 2 awns that each divide into two branches; fruits white...... Gaultheria hispidula 01b Stems usually minutely hairy, sometimes hairless; leaf blades 10-25 mm; flowers in 5 parts, anthers without awns; fruits red.......gaultheria humifusa 5

2a 2b KALMIA Laurel (KAL-mē-a) 0 Sprawling much-branched shrub, lying ± flat on the ground; stamens 5; fruiting capsules with 2-3 cavities.... Kalmia procumbens...[loiseleuria procumbens] 01b Spreading to erect shrub; stamens 10; capsules with 5- cavities....02 02a Erect shrub usually 30-75(100) cm high; leaves with purple, club shaped hairs along the midrib on both surfaces; seeds 1.5-2.2 mm long.... Kalmia polifolia 02b Spreading to erect shrub 10-29(50) cm tall; leaf midribs hairless, without purple, club shaped hairs; seeds 0.5-1.4 mm long..........kalmia microphylla 1b PHYLLODOCE Mountain heather (fi-lō-do-sē; fē-lō-do-kā) 0 Corolla rose-colored to scarlet, bell-shaped; sepals egg-shaped in outline, blunt, without glands....phyllodoce empetriformis 01b Corolla yellowish, urn-shaped, constricted at the throat; sepals lance-shaped, sharply pointed, glandular-hairy....... Phyllodoce glanduliflora 3a 3b PYROLA Wintergreen (pi-rō-la; PĪ-ro-la; PĒ-rō-la) 0 Styles straight, (0.5)0.8-1.5(1.8) mm long, neither thickened near the tip nor protruding conspicuously from the flower; anthers 0.8-1.4 mm, without small tubes....pyrola minor 01b Styles bent downward from the base, 4-10 mm long, thickened to a collar at the tip, protruding conspicuously from the flower; anthers (1.6)2.2-5.5 mm, tipped with small tubes..02 02a Flower bracts the adjacent flower stalk in length (sometimes shorter in P. asarifolia); calyx lobes longer than wide............03 02b Flower bracts < the adjacent flower stalk in length; calyx lobes ± as long as wide....04 03a Anthers yellow to pink, 1.6-3 mm long, rounded at the lower tip or with a point <0.1 mm long; filaments 0.2-0.3 mm wide at the base; petals white or greenish-white, often tinged pink......pyrola grandiflora 03b Anthers pink to purplish red, (1.7)2-3.5(3.9) mm long, with a point at the lower tip 0.1-0.5(0.7) mm long; filaments 0.5-1.1 mm wide at the base; petals pink or purplish (rarely white).... Pyrola asarifolia...[includes Pyrola bracteata] 6

4a 4a 5a 4b 2a 5b 3a 04a Leaf blades usually with mottled-white veins above and elliptic to egg-shaped, sometimes spatula- to lance-shaped and not mottled, rarely absent.... Pyrola picta S1 04b Leaves green above (not white-veined), broadly elliptic or egg-shaped to circular..05 05a Leaf blades oval to circular, 2-3 cm long, mostly shorter than their stalks, rarely absent; anther tubules 0.7-1.1 mm long, separate...... Pyrola chlorantha 05b Leaf blades elliptic to oblong or egg-shaped, (2)3-8 cm long, longer than their stalks; anther tubules 0.3-0.6 mm long, touching or fused for most of their length.... Pyrola elliptica RHODODENDRON Azalea; Labrador-tea (rō-do-den-dron) 0 Leaves thin, shed in autumn, edged with tiny teeth; flowers white, (9)10-20(22) mm wide, in clusters of 1-3 along branches in axils of last year s leaves....rhododendron albiflorum 01b Leaves leathery, persisting through winter, smooth-edged; flowers white to cream and 2-8 mm wide or rose to purple and 8-14 mm wide, in clusters at branch tips....02 02a Flowers rose to purple (white), (6.5)8-14(15) mm wide; petals fused 3/4 of their length; capsules splitting open from tip to base; leaf scales broad-rimmed.......rhododendron lapponicum S2 02b Flowers white to cream, 2-8 mm wide; petals separate (slightly fused at the base); capsules splitting open from base to tip; leaf scales not broad-rimmed. [previously Ledum spp.] 03 03a Leaves with stalks 1 cm long, elliptic to oval, flat or only slightly down-rolled at the edges, pale and with small shining resin granules beneath.. Rhododendron neoglandulosum................. [Ledum glandulosum;... Rhododendron columbianum] 03b Leaves short-stalked or stalkless, linear to oblong, strongly down-rolled along the edges, densely covered in matted rust-colored hairs beneath....04 04a Stamens (8)10(11); leaves ± linear, usually with veins on the upper leaf surface deeply impressed and the midvein on lower leaf surface visible; capsule stalks sharply recurved.... Rhododendron tomentosum...[ledum palustre] 04b Stamens 5-7(10); leaves narrowly eggshaped/oval to linear, usually with veins on the upper surface flat (not impressed) and the midvein on the lower surface covered by hairs; capsule stalks broadly recurved....... Rhododendron groenlandicum...[ledum groenlandicum] 7

3a 6a 6b 5a 2a VACCINIUM Blueberry (vak-si-nē-um; wa-kē-nē-oom) 0 Stems thread-like, creeping; flowers like tiny shooting-stars, with 4 largely separate petals (joined at the base) bent sharply backwards.... Vaccinium oxycoccos...[oxycoccus microcarpus;...oxycoccus quadripetalus] 01b Stems erect, or if creeping, not thread-like; flowers cup- or urn-shaped, with 4-5 petals fused for >1/2 their length....02 02a Leaves evergreen, thick, with down-rolled edges, shiny above, pale and dotted with dark hairs beneath, 3-10 mm long; stems mostly creeping.... Vaccinium vitis-idaea 02b Leaves shed each fall, thin, with flat (not down-rolled) edges, mostly dull above, green beneath (rarely with a thin, waxy coating) and >1 cm long; stems mostly upright....03 03a Branchlets hairy; leaves very hairy, especially beneath; flower clusters dense, at branch tips; anthers without horns/awns.......vaccinium myrtilloides 03b Branchlets and leaves hairless or sparsely hairy; flowers 1-few in leaf axils along branches; anthers tipped with 2 long horns (awns)....04 04a Branches rounded or indistinctly angled, reddish or brownish; berries blue with a waxy coating (rarely white)....05 04b Branches strongly angled, green or yellow; berries red, black, blue or purplish....07 05a Leaves smooth-edged; flowers 1-4 in leaf axils, 4-lobed, with 8 stamens; young twigs pale green, not angled.......vaccinium uliginosum 05b Leaves edged with small sharp teeth; flowers single in leaf axils, 5-lobed, with 10 stamens; twigs somewhat angled to rounded in cross section, yellow-green or reddish green (rarely brown)....06 06a Mat-forming shrubs 5-25 cm tall;; leaves 1-3 cm long, toothed on the upper 1/2, gradually tapered to a wedge-shaped base from a broad, rounded tip; berries light blue (rarely white), 6 mm wide....vaccinium caespitosum 06b Erect to spreading shrubs 50-100 cm tall; leaves 2-5 cm long, abruptly narrowed to a stalk at the base, pointed at the tip; berries 8-10 mm wide, black or purplish................ Vaccinium membranaceum (in part) 07a Shrubs 10-30 cm tall, from creeping rootstocks; leaves 0.6-2 cm long, toothed; flower nodding, 3-5 mm long....08 07b Shrubs (20)40-100 cm tall, without creeping rootstocks; leaves 2-4(5) cm long, toothed or smooth-edged; flowers 5-7(9) mm long...09 8

8a 9a 8b 9b 08a Fruit bright red, 3-5 mm wide; branches slender, erect and numerous (broomy); twigs strongly angled, greenish or yellow-green, hairless; leaves shiny above, conspicuously veined beneath, 7-11(12) x 4-6 mm, pointed to sharp-pointed at the tip.......vaccinium scoparium 08b Fruit blue or black, 5-8 mm wide; branches not broomy; twigs 3-angled, green, usually minutely hairy (especially in grooves); leaves dull above, strongly veined with prominent mid-rib below, (10)15-25(30) x (5)6-9(11) mm, broadly pointed or blunt at the tip.......vaccinium myrtillus 09a Leaves smooth-edged or nearly so, blunttipped, pale on both sides, hairless and with a bluish-white coating beneath; fruits blue, with a whitish coating; flower stalks 1-8 mm long....vaccinium ovalifolium S2 09b Leaves edged with small sharp teeth, tipped with a sharp point, green on both sides, sparsely glandular beneath; fruits black, without a whitish coating; flower stalks 5-10(12) mm long......... Vaccinium membranaceum (in part) 9

References Alberta Conservation Information Management System (ACIMS). 2015. List of all Vascular Plant Taxa Confirmed for Alberta as recorded in the ACIMS database - October 15 2015. ACIMS, Government of Albert, Edmonton, Alberta. Britton, N. L. and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States and Canada. reprinted by Dover Publications in 1970 edition. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, New York. Brouillet, L., F. Coursol, S.J. Meades, M. Favreau, M. Anions, P. Bélisle & P. Desmet. 2015. VASCAN, the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. http://data. canadensys.net/vascan/ Douglas, G. W., D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar. 1999a. Illustrated flora of British Columbia. Volume 3. Dicotyledons (Diapensiaceae through Onagraceae). British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria, BC. Douglas, George W., Del Meidinger, Jim Pojar. 1999b. Illustrated flora of British Columbia. Volume 4. Dicotyledons (Orobanchaceae through Rubiaceae). British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria, BC. Flora of North America Editorial Committee, editor. 2009. Flora of North America North of Mexico. Volume 8. Magnoliophyta: Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae. Oxford University Press, New York, NY. Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson. 1955-69. Vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest. Volume 5. University of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington. Moss, E. H. 1983. Flora of Alberta.2nd edition. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON. Porsild, A. E. and W. J. Cody. 1980. Vascular plants of the continental Northwest Territories. National Museum of Natural Sciences. 667 pp. Vander Kloet, S. P. 1988. The genus Vaccinium in North America. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, ON. 10

Scientific Name Andromeda polifolia Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Arctous rubra Cassiope mertensiana Cassiope tetragona Chamaedaphne calyculata Chimaphila umbellata Empetrum nigrum Gaultheria hispidula Gaultheria humifusa Hypopitys monotropa Kalmia microphylla Kalmia polifolia Kalmia procumbens Menziesia ferruginea Moneses uniflora Monotropa uniflora Orthilia secunda Phyllodoce empetriformis Phyllodoce glanduliflora Pterospora andromedea Pyrola asarifolia Pyrola chlorantha Pyrola elliptica Pyrola grandiflora Pyrola minor Pyrola picta Rhododendron albiflorum Rhododendron groenlandicum Rhododendron lapponicum Rhododendron neoglandulosum Rhododendron tomentosum Vaccinium caespitosum Vaccinium membranaceum Vaccinium myrtilloides Vaccinium myrtillus Vaccinium ovalifolium List of Species and Illustration Sources Illus. Source Scientific Name LK B&B; ; ; LK ; LK ; B&B Vaccinium oxycoccos Vaccinium scoparium Vaccinium uliginosum Vaccinium vitis-idaea Key to Illustration Sources Illus. Source B&B = Britton, N. L. and A. Brown (1913) = Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson (1955-69) LK = Linda Kershaw. = John Maywood. BC = Douglas et. al. (1999a; 1999b); illustrations provided courtesy of the Province of British Columbia. 11

Index Andromeda polifolia 5 Arctostaphylos rubra. See Arctous rubra uva-ursi 4 Arctous rubra 4 Cassiope 3 mertensiana 5 tetragona 5 Chamaedaphne calyculata 5 Chimaphila umbellata 4 Empetrum nigrum 3 Gaultheria 4 hispidula 5 humifusa 5 Hypopitys monotropa 3 Kalmia 5 microphylla 6 polifolia 6 procumbens 3, 6 Ledum. See Rhododendron glandulosum. See Rhododendron neoglandulosum groenlandicum. See Rhododendron neoglandulosum palustre. See Rhododendron tomentosum Loiseleuria procumbens. See Kalmia procumbens Menziesia ferruginea 5 Moneses uniflora 4 Monotropa hypopitys. See Hypopitys monotropa uniflora 3 Orthilia secunda 4 Oxycoccus microcarpus. See Vaccinium oxycoccos quadripetalus. See Vaccinium oxycoccos Phyllodoce 3 empetriformis 6 glanduliflora 6 Pterospora andromedea 3 Pyrola 4 asarifolia 6 bracteata. See Pyrola asarifolia chlorantha 7 elliptica 7 grandiflora 6 minor 6 picta 7 Rhododendron 4, 5 albiflorum 7 columbianum. See Rhododendron neoglandulosum groenlandicum 7 lapponicum 7 neoglandulosum 7 tomentosum 7 Vaccinium 4 caespitosum 8 membranaceum 8, 9 myrtilloides 8 myrtillus 9 ovalifolium 9 oxycoccos 8 scoparium 9 uliginosum 8 vitis-idaea 8 12