Flowers Online

Flowers Of Canada

Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia. It has a population of about twenty-seven million people, which is quite a small figure for the vast land it covers.

Originally inhabited by aboriginal people, Canada is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy and has Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. A multi-cultural and bilingual country, Canada has two official languages- French and English. The federation comprises 10 provinces and 3 territories. Each of these, have a flower of their own, an emblem of sorts, of their land. If there was ever any doubt about a Canadian's love for flowers, surely thist will be dissipated by this particular characteristic.

Every province and territory has selected a flower as its official floral emblem in recognition of the grand variety of floral beauty that exists on the land. They are as follows:

* British Columbia: Has chosen the Pacific Dogwood which blooms mainly in April and May and boasts of beautiful and big white flowers. This flower has been the official emblem of British Columbia since 1956.

* Alberta: The Wild Rose was chosen by the school children of Alberta in 1930. The flowers are pink and prickly and also lovely. It grows all over Canada from British Columbia to Quebec.

* Saskatchewan: The Western Red Lily was selected in 1941 as the official emblem. Tall and bright red, these flowers are mainly found in light forests and meadows.

* Manitoba: Prairie Crocus was chosen in a vote by the children of Manitoba all the way back in 1906, and has been the official emblem for a century now. This lavender colored flower blooms in early spring and, at times, before the snow has melted fully.

* Ontario: Chosen in 1937 as the official flower, the White Trillium blooms in early spring in forests. The three petals and leaves contributes to its name-the trillium-which means three as well.

* Quebec: The Madonna Lily had been Quebec's official emblem for over 36 years now and looks very similar to the heraldic fleur-de-lis on the flag of Quebec and is symbolic of French culture in both Quebec and France. The flower however, does not grow naturally in the area and therefore had to be replaced with another flower, i.e., the Blue Flag Iris.

* New Brunswick: The Purple Violet was chosen in 1936 and grows in wet meadows and forests. This is a small and either purple or dark blue in color, and is known to grow all over New Brunswick quite well.

* Nova Scotia: Mayflower was chosen all the way back in 1901 and grows around the eastern coat of the North Americas. It was named by the early European settlers who spotted it as the spring's first flower after their ship which brought them to North America landed in 1620.

* Prince Edward Island: Lady's Slipper became the official emblem in 1947 and received its name from its petals which are shaped similar to a woman's shoes. It blooms in the forest during spring.

* Newfoundland and Labrador: The pitcher plant became the official emblem in 1954 and is so named because a part of it gets filled with water like a real pitcher. Insects then get trapped in the same water and are then devoured by the plant.

* Yukon Territory: The tall Firewood with its small and dark pink flowers is the official emblem chosen in 1957. It grows in clearings or next to roads or rivers. The name firewood has been given due to the fact that it is one of the first plants to grow after a fire.

* Northwest Territory: Mountain Avens was selected in 1957 as the official territorial flower. Short with white flowers and small leaves, this plant grows in high and rocky ground.

* Nunavut Territory: In 2000, the Purple Saxifrage was chosen as the official emblem of this territory and grows very well in cool weather. This flower grows over gravel and rocks like mat, all over the territory, and is small and bright purple.

Canada as a country has its own emblem- though not official- the maple leaf. This can be readily identified with the country and may become official yet. Similarly, the importance of flora and fauna in the country is constant whether official or not, and their official emblem status just adds to their existent popularity.