Most people would not immediately view any given plant community, with an eye on the past. All plant communities indicate something about their environment. Individual species mature together, because they can. Their growth requirement for sunlight and nutrition are similar enough that competition may not occur. But as we view an assemblage of plants, we are viewing a habitat snapshot in time.
What led to the plant species mixture?
If one were in Hants County or parts of Inverness County, one would see very different plant communities than along the Atlantic coast. The two named counties are underlain by gypsum deposits, while the rock along the Atlantic coast tends to be acidic, resulting in different plant assemblages.
Bogs sustain plant communities that grow in infertile and acidic soil, often peat. Many plants have adapted to that environment such as the blueberry family, sundews and pitcher plants. Coniferous forests contribute to the lowering of pH of the soil beneath them as well. Deciduous forests are much more common on fertile soils, with deep horizons and increased fertility.
Humans have inserted themselves on the landscape, bringing with them a host of plant species, inadvertently or intentionally. In particular, plants such as Hawthorn, Daphne and Heather, entered the province deliberately as immigrants from western Europe wanted to bring reminders of home to their gardens here. Daphne is particularly associated with the French settlements. The English Hawthorn, or Mayflower, was a popular hedgerow tree, lining lanes leading to farms and homes. Heather is a rugged heath plant favouring acidic soils. There are urban legends claiming it was used in mattress ticking by British soldiers, hence its arrival at Point Pleasant Park. This urban park provided habitat for many plants that arrived on our shores, many not deliberate. The medicinal plant Chelidonium majus, is commonly reported from there and old gardens around the port city.
Other plants did not gain notoriety until they arrived here from the ‘old world’. One such plant is Senecio jacobaea, or Tansy Ragwort. This tall herb of the aster family proliferated in pastures and on roadsides of northern Nova Scotia. There it was grazed by pasture animals. Their ingestion of the plant caused a condition rendering the milk bitter and the animal in poor deteriorating health. This illness became known as Pictou disease. It was first described by farmers in New Scotland.
This cursory glance at forensics would not be complete without a mention of our newer arrivals. Many of those are deliberate and the result of the public’s desire for fast-growing groundcovers with flower. Of course, gardeners know I am referring to Japanese Knotweed, Multiflora Rose and Himalayan Balsam. We could through goutweed in as well. All are tenacious, well-established and invasive. Their presence in suburban gardens has ensured that our native plant communities will change drastically. All are fast-growing species that are strong competitors for light and nutrients.
Chelidonium majus, photo by Ross Hall
Crataegus monogyna, English Hawthorn, photo by Martin Thomas
Daphne mezereum, photo by Martin Thomas
Himalayan Balsam, Impatiens glandulifera, photo by Marian Munro
Tansy Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea, photo by Marian Munro
Rosa multiflora, photo by Martin Thomas
If one were in Hants County or parts of Inverness County, one would see very different plant communities than along the Atlantic coast. The two named counties are underlain by gypsum deposits, while the rock along the Atlantic coast tends to be acidic, resulting in different plant assemblages.
Bogs sustain plant communities that grow in infertile and acidic soil, often peat. Many plants have adapted to that environment such as the blueberry family, sundews and pitcher plants. Coniferous forests contribute to the lowering of pH of the soil beneath them as well. Deciduous forests are much more common on fertile soils, with deep horizons and increased fertility.
Humans have inserted themselves on the landscape, bringing with them a host of plant species, inadvertently or intentionally. In particular, plants such as Hawthorn, Daphne and Heather, entered the province deliberately as immigrants from western Europe wanted to bring reminders of home to their gardens here. Daphne is particularly associated with the French settlements. The English Hawthorn, or Mayflower, was a popular hedgerow tree, lining lanes leading to farms and homes. Heather is a rugged heath plant favouring acidic soils. There are urban legends claiming it was used in mattress ticking by British soldiers, hence its arrival at Point Pleasant Park. This urban park provided habitat for many plants that arrived on our shores, many not deliberate. The medicinal plant Chelidonium majus, is commonly reported from there and old gardens around the port city.
Other plants did not gain notoriety until they arrived here from the ‘old world’. One such plant is Senecio jacobaea, or Tansy Ragwort. This tall herb of the aster family proliferated in pastures and on roadsides of northern Nova Scotia. There it was grazed by pasture animals. Their ingestion of the plant caused a condition rendering the milk bitter and the animal in poor deteriorating health. This illness became known as Pictou disease. It was first described by farmers in New Scotland.
This cursory glance at forensics would not be complete without a mention of our newer arrivals. Many of those are deliberate and the result of the public’s desire for fast-growing groundcovers with flower. Of course, gardeners know I am referring to Japanese Knotweed, Multiflora Rose and Himalayan Balsam. We could through goutweed in as well. All are tenacious, well-established and invasive. Their presence in suburban gardens has ensured that our native plant communities will change drastically. All are fast-growing species that are strong competitors for light and nutrients.
Chelidonium majus, photo by Ross Hall
Crataegus monogyna, English Hawthorn, photo by Martin ThomasDaphne mezereum, photo by Martin Thomas
Himalayan Balsam, Impatiens glandulifera, photo by Marian Munro
Tansy Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea, photo by Marian MunroRosa multiflora, photo by Martin Thomas
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