Rubus chamaemorus
Bakeapple
Birch Brook locations : Boggy areas on all trails, but not in quantity

Bakeapples are considered to be a great Labrador delicacy. They are very expensive to buy. Dark green very wrinkled leaves with five lobes and a toothed edge arise from a creeping stem. A solitary white five-petalled flower blooms on a stalk above the leaves in early summer. Orange colored raspberry-like fruit ripen in late summer.

Rubus idaeus
Raspberry
Birch Brook locations : Open sunny areas and burnovers on Birches Run, McLean Lake Trail and Games Trail

Rubus pubescens
Hairy Plumboy / Dewberry
Birch Brook locations : A few moist sheltered areas near ramps and bridges on Birches Run, Scott's Run, Rabbit Run, McLean Lake Trail

Dewberries are a refreshing treat in midsummer. Unfortunately they are not found in quantity. Leaves are compound and composed of 3 or 5 toothed leaflets on a single stem. A single white, five-petalled erect flower blooms in mid June. Red fruit resembles raspberry but is elongated rather than thimble-shaped. The plant is usually less than 30cm.

Salix spp.
Willows
several species

Sarracenia purpurea
Pitcher Plant
Birch Brook Location : Sphagnum bogs by McLean Lake

Pitcher Plant is an unmistakable insectivorous bog plant. The large heavily veined red or green leaves are hollow and pitcher-like from the base of the stalk. A single five-petalled greenish red flower with a large flattened pistil grows in summer on a long stalk.

Smilacina trifolia
Three-Leaved False Solomon's Seal
Birch Brook location : Damp areas on Rabbit Run

This plant may be easily confused, at first glance, with Canada Mayflower. Three broad lance-shaped leaves clasp and sheath the stem. A slender unbranched cluster of white flowers bloom in July. Berries turn deep red in late summer.

Solidago spp.
Goldenrod
several species found

Sorbus decora
Showy Mountain Ash
Labrador : Dogberry
Birch Brook locations : A few areas on all trails

Dogberries are like a magnet for birds. Orange-red berries persist after the leaves fall and are beautiful with a back drop of fresh snow. Alternate leaves are compound with 11 to 17 toothed leaflets. The white five-petalled flowers form dense terminal clusters in June. Clusters of berries ripen in Fall.

Streptopus amplexifolius
Twisted Stalk / White Mandarin
Birch Brook locations : A few moist areas on Rabbit Run, Brook Trail, Birches Run and Chaulk's Run

Twisted Stalk is an unusual solitary plant found unexpectedly in moist, shady areas. Alternate, broad, pointed, oval leaves which are whitish on the underside clasp the twisted .5 to 1m. stem. Greenish, bell-shaped single flowers dangle on kinked stalks below each leaf axil. It blooms in July and produces red berries in August.

Thalictrum polygamum
Tall Meadow-Rue
Birch Brook locations : Stream edges along Chaulk's Run and by McLean Lake

Meadow-Rue is a tall, showy wetlands plant that's not at all common at Birch Brook. Alternate compound leaves are divided into paired oval leaflets with the tip of the terminal leaflet being three-toothed. The plant may grow to 1.5 m. Masses of fuzzy white flowers blooming in late summer are quite distinct. Flowers lack petals but have four small sepals and numerous thread-like yellow stamens.

Trientalis borealis
Starflower
Birch Brook locations : Rich woods and clearings along Rabbit Run, Scott's Run, Birches Run, and McLean Lake Trail

Starflower blooms in June at about the same time as Canada Mayflower. It is worthwhile to walk the trails every week in late spring and early summer to view the full array of wildflowers carpeting the forest floor. From 5 to 10 slender, shiny leaves are arranged in a whorl. One or more 10cm flowering stalks arise from the center of the leaves. The star-shaped flowers are white with from 6 to 8 petals.

Vaccinium angustifolium
Blueberry
Birch Brook locations : Open burnt over and cut over areas and at locations on all trails

Picking Blueberries is an end-of-summer tradition which must be completed before the first frost. Berries are delicious fresh or preserved. Leaves are narrow, oval and pointed. In early summer, pinkish-white, bell-like flowers bloom in clusters at the stem tips. Dark blue berries appear in late summer.

Vaccinium oxycoccus
Marshberry
Birch brook locations : Boggy areas of trails

Marshberry is a diminutive bog plant. Fruit ripens after being exposed to frost and is easier to pick from a frozen bog. The berries make excellent jam. Alternate, evergreen, leathery leaves are pointed and have margins rolled inward. In midsummer, terminal pink blooms with curled back leaves, appear on thin ascending stalks. Berries are rich and red.

Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Partridgeberry
Labrador : "Redberry"
Birch Brook locations : Some areas on all trails

Partridgeberry is a low, mat-forming evergreen shrub that grows in abundance. Because of the profusion of berries and the ease of picking them once frost has subdued the biting insects, Partridgeberries have traditionally been a staple of Labrador diets. Small alternate dark green leathery leaves are deeply indented along the midrib and have margins slightly turned under. Clusters of small, pink drooping bell-shaped flowers bloom at the tips of stems in June. Red berries ripen after being exposed to frost.

Viburnum edule
Squashberry
Birch Brook locations : Quite common along birch area of McLean Lake Trail and Scott's Run

As with Mountain Ash, the red berries of Squashberry persist after leaves have fallen and look quite decorative after the first snowfall. Berries are good fresh or preserved. Dark green, unevenly three-lobed, coarsely toothed leaves grow opposite each other on the branches which can be up to 1.5 m high. In June, small white five-petalled flowers form a loose cluster (or a pair of clusters on opposite sides of the stem ) well down from the tip of the twig. Clear orange-red fruit ripens by September.

Viola pallens
Northern White Violet
Birch Brook locations : Fairly common in wet areas, particularly by springs in the birch forest

Delicate-looking violets are sturdy little plants among the first to bloom in Spring. Basal leaves are heart-shaped, blunt-tipped and grow on slender stalks. The white flowers grow on long stalks above the leaves. Each flower has five petals, the lower one, a bit larger, has spurs at the base and is streaked with purple lines

REFERENCES

Britton, N.L. and A. Brown, 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Edition 1970, Dover Publications, New York.

Cobb, B. 1968. A Field Guide to the Ferns and Their Related Families. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.

Collins, M. 1994. Plants and Wildflowers of Newfoundland. Jesperson Press Ltd., St. John's, NF.

Meades, S.J., undated. Forestry Module Biology 3201. Department of Education. St. John's, NF.

Newcomb, L. 1977. Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Little, Brown and Co., Toronto.

Peterson, L.A. 1977. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants; Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.

Peterson, R.T. and M. McKenny. 1968. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.

Ryan, A.G. 1978. Native Trees and Shrubs of Newfoundland and Labrador. Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, St. John's, NF.

Scott, P. undated. Some Edible Fruit and Herbs of Newfoundland. Breakwater Books Ltd., St. John's, NF.