Revegetation Species Profiles

Oil sands reclamation guidance documents prepared by the Cumulative Environmental Management Association and endorsed by the provincial government include lists of potential reclamation species.  Ninety-eight reclamation species profiles have been prepared for inclusion in an OSRIN report.  The individual profiles are provided here (click on the species name link) and will be updated periodically as new information is obtained (see Updated column for the last update).  The species profiles are also available for downloading on OSRIN’s ERA site.

The full suite of profiles has been compiled in a report that is available for downloading:

Smreciu, A., K. Gould and S. Wood, 2013.  Boreal Plant Species for Reclamation of Athabasca Oil Sands Disturbances.  OSRIN Report No. TR-44.    23 pp. plus appendices.  http://hdl.handle.net/10402/era.37533

 

Although the original objective for the profiles was to inform decisions made by reclamation planners and practitioners in the oil sands and to promote the inclusion of these species in revegetation, the information has a much wider audience appeal.  Professionals in other industries as well as provincial, municipal and federal government agencies, nursery producers, aboriginal groups, researchers, archaeologists, cultural anthropologists and ethno-botanists, wildlife biologists, foresters, range managers, horticulturalists, naturalists and the general public continue to seek species information.

OSRIN is grateful to the Canadian Oil Sands Network for Research and Development (CONRAD) Environment and Reclamation Research Group (ERRG), the individual oil sands companies and Alberta Environment, Oil Sands and Clean Energy Branch who provided initial funding for Wild Rose Consulting Inc. to undertake the work to prepare the species profiles and who provided permission to use the information in this report.  The companies who provided funding and permission to use the materials are listed in each species profile.

Species profile revision dates (yellow highlights) are shown in the Updated column.

Click on these links for information on seed and fruit metrics (seeds/g, g/1,000 seed, seeds/fruit etc. – last updated August 27, 2014) and a list of references that have ranked species characteristics (Last updated April 23, 2014).

 

Scientific Name Common Name Family Updated
Achillea millefolium common yarrow Asteraceae  Feb 5/14
Acorus americanus rat root, sweet flag, calamus Araceae  Jan 6/14
Actaea rubra baneberry Ranunculaceae  Jun 17/14
Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia river alder, thin leaf alder, speckled alder, gray alder Betulaceae  Jun 17/14
Alnus viridis ssp. crispa green alder, sitka alder, mountain alder, wavy-leaf alder, slide alder Betulaceae  Jun 17/14
Amelanchier alnifolia saskatoon, service berry, June berry, shadbush, shadblow, indian pear, may cherry Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Anemone canadensis Canada anemone, meadow anemone Ranunculaceae  Oct 17/13
Anemone multifida cut-leaf anemone, globe anemone Ranunculaceae  Oct 17/13
Anemone patens prairie crocus, crocus anemone, pasqueflower Ranunculaceae  Oct 17/13
Anthoxanthum nitens sweetgrass, vanilla grass, holy grass Poaceae  Oct 17/13
Apocynum androsaemifolium spreading dogbane, bitterroot, flytrap, Indian hemp Apocynaceae  Jun 17/14
Aralia nudicaulis wild sarsaparilla Araliaceae  Jun 17/14
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi bearberry, kinnikinnick, red bearberry, cowberry, manzanita, mealberry Ericaceae  Jun 17/14
Astragalus agrestis cock’s-head, field milkvetch, purple milkvetch Fabaceae  Dec 3/13
Astragalus alpinus alpine milkvetch Fabaceae  Dec 3/13
Astragalus americanus American milk vetch, rattlepod Fabaceae  Jun 17/14
Astragalus canadensis Canadian milkvetch, Canada milk-vetch Fabaceae  Dec 5/13
Betula nana bog birch, arctic dwarf birch, swamp birch Betulaceae  Nov 10/14
Betula papyrifera paper birch, western birch, white birch, canoe birch Betulaceae  Nov 10/14
Bromus ciliatus fringed bromegrass Poaceae  Aug 27/14
Calamagrostis stricta boreal reed grass, northern reed grass, slimstem reedgrass Poaceae  Jun 17/14
Campanula rotundifolia bluebell, bluebell-of-Scotland, harebell, roundleaf harebell Campanulaceae  Jun 17/14
Castilleja miniata common red paintbrush, giant red Indian paintbrush, scarlet paintbrush Scrophulariaceae  Jun 17/14
Castilleja raupii purple paintbrush, Raup’s Indian paintbrush Scrophulariaceae  Dec 6/13
Chamerion angustifolium fireweed, great willow-herb Onagraceae  Jun 17/14
Comandra umbellata bastard toadflax, pale comandra Santalaceae  Dec 5/13
Cornus canadensis bunchberry, bunchberry dogwood, creeping dogwood, pigeonberry Cornaceae  Jun 17/14
Cornus sericea ssp. sericea red-osier dogwood, dogwood, red willow Cornaceae  Jun 17/14
Corydalis aurea golden corydalis, golden smoke, scrambled eggs Fumariaceae  Dec 5/13
Corylus cornuta beaked hazel, beaked hazelnut, western hazel, wild filbert, beaked filbert Betulaceae  Jun 17/14
Cypripedium acaule moccasin flower, pink lady’s slipper, pink lady’s-slipper orchid, pink moccasin flower, stemless lady’s slipper Orchidaceae  Oct 17/13
Dasiphora fruticosa shrubby cinquefoil Rosaceae  Oct 17/13
Deschampsia caespitosa tufted hair grass, tussock grass Poaceae  Aug 27/14
Draba nemorosa woodland draba Brassicaceae  Dec 3/13
Drosera rotundifolia round-leaved sundew Droseraceae  Jun 17/14
Eleocharis acicularis needle spike rush, needle spike sedge Cyperaceae  Oct 17/13
Eleocharis palustris creeping spikerush, common spikerush, spike sedge Cyperaceae  Dec 3/13
Fragaria virginiana ssp. glauca wild strawberry, Virginia strawberry Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Galium boreale northern bedstraw, sweet scented bedstraw, fragrant bedstraw Rubiaceae  Jun 17/14
Geranium bicknellii Bicknell’s geranium, Bicknell’s cranesbill Geraniaceae  Jun 17/14
Geum rivale purple avens, water avens, chocolate-root Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Hedysarum alpinum alpine sweetvetch, alpine sweet broom, licorice root, sweetbroom Fabaceae  Aug 27/14
Hedysarum boreale boreal sweet-vetch, boreal sweetvetch, northern sweetvetch, sweetvetch Fabaceae  Aug 27/14
Heracleum sphondylium ssp. Montanum common cow parsnip, cow parsnip Apiaceae  Jun 17/14
Hesperostipa curtiseta western porcupine grass, Canadian needle grass, shortbristle needle and thread Poaceae  Dec 3/13
Hudsonia tomentosa beach heather, woolly beach-heather, sand golden-heather Cistaceae  Dec 6/13
Juniperus communis common juniper, ground juniper, dwarf juniper, low juniper Cupressaceae  Jan 6/14
Larix laricina tamarack, Alaskan larch, American larch, eastern larch, hackmatack Pinaceae  Jun 17/14
Lathyrus ochroleucus cream pea, creamy peavine, pale vetchling peavine Fabaceae  Jun 17/14
Leymus innovatus hairy wildrye, fuzzyspike wildrye, boreal wildrye Poaceae  Aug 27/14
Lilium philadelphicum tiger lily, wood lily, prairie lily, wild lily, red lily, western red lily Liliaceae  Jun 17/14
Linnaea borealis northern twinflower Caprifoliaceae  Jun 17/14
Lonicera caerulea blue fly honeysuckle, mountain fly honeysuckle, sweetberry honeysuckle, honeyberry Caprifoliaceae  Jun 17/14
Lonicera dioica var. glaucescens twining honeysuckle, limber honeysuckle Caprifoliaceae  Jun 17/14
Lonicera involucrata bracted honeysuckle, black twinberry, swamp honeysuckle Caprfoliaceae  Jun 17/14
Maianthemum canadense wild lily-of-the-valley, false lily-of-the-valley, Canada mayflower Asparagaceae  Jun 17/14
Melampyrum lineare cow-wheat, narrowleaf cow-wheat Orobanchaceae  Dec 6/13
Mentha arvensis wild mint, field mint Lamiaceae  Oct 17/13
Mertensia paniculata bluebell, tall lungwort, tall bluebell Boraginaceae  Jun 17/14
Mitella nuda bishop’s cap, bare-stem bishop’s-cap, miterwort, naked miterwort Saxifragaceae  Jun 17/14
Oxytropis splendens showy crazyweed, showy locoweed, showy pointvetch Fabaceae  Dec 9/13
Phragmites australis reed grass, common reed grass, giant reed grass, carrizo Poaceae  Dec 9/13
Picea glauca white spruce, Canadian spruce, cat spruce Pinaceae  Nov 10/14
Pinus banksiana jack pine Pinaceae  Jun 17/14
Populus balsamifera balsam poplar, black poplar Salicaceae  Nov 10/14
Populus tremuloides trembling aspen, quaking aspen, aspen poplar, white poplar Salicaceae  Nov 10/14
Primula pauciflora var. pauciflora saline shooting star, darkthroat shooting star Primulaceae  Oct 17/13
Prunus pensylvanica pin cherry, fire cherry, wild red cherry, pigeon cherry, bird cherry Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Prunus virginiana chokecherry, common chokecherry, Virginia chokecherry Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Pyrola asarifolia common pink wintergreen, liverleaf wintergreen, shinleaf wintergreen, pink pyrola Ericaceae  Jun 17/14
Rhododendron groenlandicum Labrador tea, bog Labrador tea, rusty Labrador-tea, St. James’ tea, marsh tea, swamp tea, Hudson’s Bay tea Ericaceae  Jun 17/14
Ribes glandulosum skunk currant, skunk red currant, skunkberry, fetid currant Grossulariaceae  Jun 17/14
Ribes hudsonianum northern black currant, black currant, Hudson Bay currant Grossulariaceae  Jun 17/14
Ribes lacustre bristly black currant, prickly currant, swamp currant Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Ribes triste swamp red currant, red currant Grossulariaceae  Jun 17/14
Rosa acicularis prickly rose, bristly rose Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Rubus arcticus ssp. acaulis dwarf raspberry, arctic blackberry, arctic bramble Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Rubus chamaemorus cloud berry, bake-apple, baked-apple berry Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Rubus idaeus red raspberry Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Rubus pubescens dewberry, trailing raspberry, running raspberry Rosaceae  Feb 5/14
Rumex aquaticus western dock Polygonacaeae  Dec 3/13
Salix bebbiana Bebb’s willow, gray willow Salicaceae  Jun 17/14
Salix exigua sand bar willow, coyote willow, narrow leaf willow, desert willow Salicaceae  Oct 17/13
Salix lucida greenleaf willow, Pacific willow, shining willow Salicaceae  Oct 17/13
Schizachne purpurascens false melic, false melic grass, purple oat grass Poacaeae  Jun 17/14
Scirpus microcarpus small-fruited bulrush, panicled bulrush, barber-pole bulrush Cyperaceae  Jun 17/14
Shepherdia canadensis buffaloberry, Canadian buffaloberry, soapberry, russet buffaloberry, soopalalie Elaeagnaceae  Jun 17/14
Sibbaldiopsis tridentata three-toothed cinquefoil, shrubby five fingers Rosaceae  Jun 17/14
Sisyrinchium montanum mountain blue-eyed grass, strict blue-eyed grass Iridaceae  Dec 9/13
Solidago canadensis Canada goldenrod, common goldenrod Asteraceae  Oct 17/13
Solidago simplex  var. spathulata mountain goldenrod, spike-like goldenrod, sticky goldenrod Asteraceae  Oct 17/13
Symphoricarpos albus snowberry, common snowberry, white coralberry Caprifoliaceae  Jun 17/14
Symphyotrichum laeve smooth aster, smooth blue aster, purple aster Asteraceae  Oct 17/13
Symphyotrichum puniceum  var. puniceum purple stem aster Asteraceae  Jun 17/14
Trientalis borealis northern starflower Primulaceae  Jun 17/14
Vaccinium myrtilloides blueberry, velvet-leaf blueberry, Canada blueberry,    velvet-leaf huckleberry Ericaceae  Jun 17/14
Vaccinium oxycoccos small bog cranberry Ericaceae  Jun 17/14
Vaccinium vitis-idaea bog cranberry, cowberry, lingonberry, mountain cranberry, partridgeberry, northern mountain cranberry, lowbush cranberry Ericaceae  Jun 17/14
Viburnum edule lowbush cranberry, mooseberry, squashberry, squawberry, crampbark, pembina Caprifoliaceae  Jun 17/14
Vicia americana peavine, wild pea, American vetch, wild vetch Fabaceae  Aug 27/14