Pick Canada's Provincial Flowers Quiz

Answer:

British Columbia chose the Pacific dogwood as its floral emblem in 1956. Pacific dogwood is a flowering tree. Its large white spring displays are followed by clusters of red fruit in autumn. The foliage also changes colour as the year draws to a close. Dogwood blossoms appear in the province's coat of arms as well.

Alberta adopted the prickly wild rose in 1930. The choice began with a newspaper editor's suggestion that the province should have a floral emblem. The Women's Institute helped bring the idea to the Department of Education. Schoolchildren then chose the flower. Its red fruits, called rosehips, provide food for birds during winter.

Saskatchewan adopted the western red lily in 1941. The Saskatchewan Natural History Society recommended it to a committee considering a provincial flower. Its bright blossoms stand out in meadows and partly wooded places. The lily also appears on the provincial flag adopted in 1969. The flag's green and gold halves represent northern forests and southern grain fields.

Manitoba adopted the prairie crocus in 1906 after an informal vote in its schools. It was the first of the three Prairie Provinces to choose a floral emblem. The lavender to purple flowers appear early in spring. They can push through the last patches of snow. Fine hairs covering the plant help protect it from sudden changes in temperature.

Ontario adopted the white trillium in 1937. Botanists recommended it to the Ontario Horticultural Association. During the First World War, people had sought a suitable flower to plant on Canadian servicemen's graves overseas. The trillium grows in woodland and has three white petals. Ontario chose the white trillium specifically, so the red trillium in our list does not qualify.

Quebec adopted the blue flag iris under legislation that took effect on November 5, 1999. This native flower grows in wet places. Its range in Quebec extends from the St. Lawrence Valley towards James Bay. It replaced the white garden lily, which had been the provincial flower from 1963 to 1999. The fleurs-de-lis on Quebec's flag are a separate provincial symbol.

New Brunswick adopted the purple violet in 1936. This flower is also called the marsh blue violet, the name used in our list. The Women's Institute, the lieutenant governor and schoolchildren all contributed to the choice. Its flowers can be dark blue as well as purple. It grows in damp meadows and woodland.

Nova Scotia adopted the mayflower in 1901. Also known as trailing arbutus, it had already appeared on militia buttons and postage stamps during the nineteenth century. Its small, scented flowers bloom early in spring. They may appear while patches of winter snow are still on the ground. The official recognition therefore followed a much longer local association with the plant.

Prince Edward Island chose a lady's slipper as its floral emblem in 1947. In 1965, an amendment specified the botanical name of the pink lady's slipper, the flower included here. This orchid has a pouch shaped like a slipper. Bees passing through the pouch can carry pollen between flowers. It grows in woodland and flowers in late spring or early summer.

Newfoundland adopted the purple pitcher plant as its floral emblem in 1954. It is a carnivorous plant that catches insects in pitcher-shaped leaves. The flower itself is separate from these leaf traps. It grows in wet, boggy places where catching insects provides extra nutrients. The plant had already appeared on Newfoundland's small one-cent coins, minted from 1938 to 1947.

Fireweed was chosen as Yukon's floral emblem in 1957. It is one of the plants that can quickly return after a forest fire. Yukon is a territory, so fireweed does not belong in this provincial collection.

Mountain avens became the Northwest Territories' floral emblem in 1957. This white-flowered plant belongs to the rose family. Its territorial status makes it another incorrect choice here.

Purple saxifrage was adopted as Nunavut's floral emblem in 2000. It blooms early in the Arctic spring, often while snow is still present. It is a territorial emblem and its adoption also falls outside the period in our instructions.

Red trillium is a different species from the white trillium Ontario adopted in 1937. The provincial designation applies to white trillium, so red trillium does not qualify.

Daffodil is not one of the provincial floral emblems in this collection. It does have a Canadian association: volunteers used daffodils at Canadian Cancer Society fundraising teas in the 1950s. That charitable connection does not make it a provincial flower.