ROADSIDE PLANTS by R. B. MacLaren 
     
    
   
   
    
     Any attempt to Tist and deSCribe aii of the roadside piants in P.E.I. 
     
     wouid resuit in an articie Tong enough to fiii a1 Teast two issues of the 
     
     Isiand Naturaiist. This articie then wiii be Timited to a dozen or so of the 
     
     more common and interesting piants of the roadside. Roadside piants wiii vary 
     
     greatiy with different areas and, of coarse, paved roads verses ciay roads 
     
    

    
     Two of the very common roadside piants are: rabbit's foot ciover 
     
     (Trifoiium arvense) and hop ciover (three species). The rabbit's foot ciover is 
     
     very weii named. The heads are rather smaii but the caiyx teeth are Tong and 
     
     siiky. They are aiso a grayish coiour and certainiy give the impression of a 
     
     rabbit's foot. It forms quite dense masses in many roadside areas. 
     
    

    
     The most common hop ciover is the iow hop ciover (l. procumbens). Most 
     
     peopie wiii be famiiiar with this because it is very common and the yeiiow 
     
     coiour on a 10w growing piant make it easiiy recognized. 
     
    

    
     Wiid bariey (Hordeum jubatum) is becoming increasingiy common aiong our 
     
     roadsides. It is easiiy recognized because the heads resembie those of the 
     
     common bariey except that the beards are smaiier but are very prickiy. It wiii 
     
     be weii if this one sticks to the roadsides because, if cattie eat it, the awns 
     
     can cause considerabie discomfort in the mouth and throat. 
     
    

    
     The three so far described are not very spectacuiar so perhaps it wouid be 
     
     we11 to shift to a coupie that are quite attractive in appearance. First of 
     
     aii, wiid carrot (Daucus carota), often caiied Queen Anne‘s Lace because of the 
     
     pattern formed by the snow white biossoms. It wouid be nearly impossibie to ' 
     
     miss this one because it is common from North Point to East Point. 
     
     Unfortunateiy, it is creeping more and more into cuitivated iand and it is very 
     
     difficuit to controi. 
     
    

    
     Now we come to chicory (Cichorium intybus) with its bright biue fiowers 
     
     found aiong the stem. For some reason these fiowers have given rise to the name 
     
     Blue Saiiors. It is fairiy common in the province but there is probabiy more in 
     
     Mount Stewart than in most areas. It is worth remembering that the root of this 
     
     piant, weii dried and fineiy ground, is a substitute for coffee. In fact, SOme 
     
     _brands of coffee contain chicory. 
     
    

    
     Aimost everyone is famiiiar with goidenrod (Soiidago species) but how many 
     
     reaiize that there are more than a dozen different species in P.E.I. Two of 
     
     these are probabiJ more common than the others. Canada goidenrod (§. 
     
     canadensis) is often caiied broad ieaved goidenrod and is very common aiong 
     
     roadsides, especiaiiy in rich Tand. The next one (§. raminifoiia) is usuaiiy 
     
     caiied narrow ieaved goidenrod. It is more iikeiy in iight sandy areas and has 
     
     a fiat topped infiorescence, this aiong with the narrow ieaves make it easiiy 
     
     recognizabie. 
     
    

    
     Aster is another of our piants with at Teast a dozen species, some of them 
     
     quite attractive in appearance. Probabiy the most common one is the New York 
     
     aster (Aster novi-beigii). This is the one we most commoniy see aiong the 
     
     roadsides. It is quite variabie in the coiour of the bloom but mostly it is 
     
     seen as paie biue to vioiet. The second most common aster is probabiy A. 
     
     umbeiiatus, taii white aster. It is common aiong roadsides and wet ground. It 
     
     is easiiy recognized by its very taii stems and white fiowers. 
     
    

    
     A newcomer to some of our roadsides is bird's foot trefoii (Lotus 
     
     corniCuTatus). This is a forage piant and, I beiieve, has been used by the 
     
     Highways peopie as a controi for erosion. It is quite an attractive piant but g 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     does not seem to be increasing too weii. 
     
     No articie on roadside piants wouid be complete without reference to 
     
     Tupins (Lupinus perennia). It is difficuit to say when the biue Tupin first { 
     
     _ 9 - . 
     
     QM)! 
     
     WI