The Floral Emblems of Canada Quiz | Flowers, Plants & Gardens

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1. Our first provincial flower is a deciduous shrub that grows in the northern regions of Asia, Europe and North America. Native to the Canadian Great Plains, it is the official flower of Alberta. What sort of plant is this?

Answer: Wild Rose

Alberta's official provincial flower is 'Rosa acicularis', commonly known as the prickly wild rose but also sometimes called the bristly rose of the Arctic rose. This is the most abundant rose species growing wild in the forests of northern Canada and Alaska. Its flower are usually pink but white ones can also be found in the wild.

Alberta's provincial tree is the lodgepole pine.

2. A low-growing shrub from the heather family. 'Epigaea repens' is the official provincial flower of Nova Scotia. Native to the east coast of North America, from Newfoundland to Florida, it can also be found inland as far west as the Northwest Territories. Which plant is this?

Answer: Mayflower

Commonly known as the mayflower or the trailing arbutus, 'Epigaea repens' is the official floral emblem of Nova Scotia in Canada and of Massachusetts in the U.S. Indeed, digging up a mayflower plant is illegal in Massachusetts. Pertial particularly to oak forests, the slow-growing mayflower flourishes in shady areas with moist, acidic soil.

Historically, the Algonquin, Iroquois and Cherokee tribes all used various parts of the mayflower plant for medicinal purposes to cure ailments ranging from diarrhea to indigestion and kidney ailments.

The red spruce is Nova Scotia's provincial tree.

3. A member of the orchid family, 'Cypripedium acaule' is the provincial flower of Prince Edward Island. Found throughout Canada (except in British Columbia), it flourishes in numerous environments from coastal plains, through pine forests to mountainous regions. What type of plant is this?

Answer: Lady's Slipper

Commonly known as the pink lady's slipper, 'Cypripedium acaule' is also sometimes called the stemless lady's-slipper or the moccasin flower. Large colonies are found in Canada's pine forests, where the highly-acidic soil is ideal for them.

4. Usually known as the blue flag in North America, this flowering herbaceous perennial plant is native to the eastern U.S. and eastern Canada. Most often seen in meadows and marshes or along the banks of streams and rivers, this is the floral emblem of the Province of Quebec. To which family of plants does this belong?

Answer: Iris

Known as the purple iris in the UK, 'Iris versicolor' is commonly called the blue flag in North America, where it is also known as the harlequin blueflag and the poison flag.

The roots of this plant are highly poisonous, containing iridin, and its sap has been known to cause dermatitis. The blue flag replace the Madonna lily (which is not native to the province) as Quebec's floral emblem. It is also the state flower of Tennessee in the U.S.

5. Our next pictured flower is a herbaceous perennial that is native to eastern North America, from Quebec to Georgia and as far west as Minnesota. Usually found in in rich, mixed upland forests, its flowers bloom in late spring and early summer. The floral emblem of Ontario, which type of plant is this?

Answer: Trillium

'Trillium grandiflorum', commonly called the white trillium, the large-flowered trillium or the white wake-robin, is a member of the Melanthiaceae family of flowering perennial herbs called trilliums. It has been the official floral emblem of Ontario since 1937 and is featured on the state flag.

A popular food source for many deer species, the popularity of the trilliums with gardeners (with many plants being collected from the wild) has caused them to become vulnerable species in their much of their native habitat. Particularly popular are those producing pink flowers, or varieties with additional petals.

6. The pictured 'Sarracenia purpurea' is a carnivorous plant native to much of Canada as well as the eastern U.S. and the Gulf Coast region. The provincial floral emblem of Newfoundland & Labrador, this is the only species in its family that can be found in cold climates. To which family of plants does this belong?

Answer: Pitcher Plants

Commonly called the purple pitcher plant or northern pitcher plant, 'Sarracenia purpurea' is also sometimes known as the side-saddle flower. Part of the Sarraceniaceae family of pitcher plants, it is the most common and widely distributed of all pitcher plants found in North America.

Like all carnivorous plants, the purple pitcher plant gets most of its nutrients through prey capture: as the pitcher fills with rain water, potential prey falls in and drowns.

7. The species of edible plant pictured here is common throughout the high Arctic region as well as some mountainous regions further south including the Rockies and the Alps. Part of the rosid family and one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, this is the floral emblem of the Nunavut Territory. What type of plant is this?

Answer: Saxifrage

'Saxifraga oppositifolia' is commonly known as the purple saxifrage or purple mountain saxifrage. A popular plant in alpine gardens, it grows in abundance, colouring the landscape, in regions ranging from cold temperate to arctic. Its edible flowers are often pickled.

The floral emblem of Nunavut in Canada, 'Saxifraga oppositifolia' is also the county flower of County Londonderry in Northern Ireland and the territorial flower of Nordland county in Norway.

8. A perennial herbaceous plant in the willowherb family, 'Chamerion angustifolium' is native to the boreal forests of much of the Northern Hemisphere. Although sometimes grown as an ornamental plant, it is most often used to restore vegetation to damaged areas after events such as an oil spill. The floral emblem of Yukon, what is this plant?

Answer: Fireweed

Commonly known as fireweed, 'Chamerion angustifolium' is also sometimes called the great willow-herb or (mostly in the UK) the rosebay willowherb. An edible plant, it was widely used a source of food and for medicinal purposes by Native Americans. Its nectar can be used to make honey and in Russia it is used to make tea.

As well as the floral emblem of Yukon, 'Chamerion angustifolium' was voted as the country flower of London in 2002.

9. A flowering plant from the buttercup (or crowfoot) family, 'Pulsatilla patens' is native to North America, Europe and northern Asia. The floral emblem of Manitoba, which type of plant is this?

Answer: Crocus

Commonly called the prairie crocus, 'Pulsatilla patens' is also known as the Eastern pasqueflower and the cutleaf anemone. Intensive ploughing of prairies has caused many of these plants to disappear.

'Pulsatilla patens' is the floral emblem of Manitoba in Canada and of South Dakota in the U.S.

10. We conclude this tour of Canadian floral emblems with a tree rather than a flower. What type of tree do you suppose might be pictured here?

Answer: Maple

There are 128 species of maple tree within the 'Acer' genus. They are part of the 'Sapindales' order, which also includes horse-chestnuts, mangos and mahogany. Everyone would recognize the distinctive shape of the maple leaf from the Canadian flag. It was chosen as Canada's national tree as a symbol of strength and endurance.

The maple is also the symbol of the Hiroshima prefecture in Japan.

Source: Author EnglishJedi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor WesleyCrusher before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Floral Emblems of Canada Trivia Quiz

Each Canadian province and territory has its own emblematic flower and tree. Can you identify them from the photograph and the clues?

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