Native bunchberry spotted thriving in Ontario provincial park
iNaturalist: silentlakediscovery
Native Plants
If you're hiking Ontario's Canadian Shield forests this summer, this low creeping groundcover with its white flower bracts and red berry cluster is a sign you're standing in healthy, undisturbed woodland.
Someone out exploring Silent Lake Provincial Park in Ontario spotted a patch of Canadian bunchberry, a tiny native plant related to dogwood trees that carpets forest floors with white blooms in spring and bright red berries later on. The sighting was verified by other naturalists as research grade, meaning it's a trustworthy record scientists can use to track where this plant grows. It's a small but useful puzzle piece for mapping native plant ranges across Canada.
Key Findings
Observation confirmed as 'research grade' on iNaturalist, meaning identification was verified by community consensus
Location documented: Silent Lake Provincial Park, Highlands East, Ontario, Canada
Species identified as Cornus canadensis, a low-growing woodland groundcover in the dogwood family
chevron_right Technical Summary
A citizen scientist documented and confirmed a healthy population of Canadian bunchberry, a native groundcover, growing in Silent Pond Provincial Park in Ontario, adding a verified data point to our understanding of where this native plant thrives.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Canadian bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) observed in Silent Lake Provincial Park, Highlands East, ON, CA
Research-grade observation of Canadian bunchberry in Silent Lake Provincial Park, Highlands East, ON, CA.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Cornus canadensis is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae, native to eastern Asia and North America. Common names include Canadian dwarf cornel, Canadian bunchberry, quatre-temps, crackerberry, and creeping dogwood. It is a creeping, rhizomatous perennial growing to about ...