Native Trees and Shrubs (Zone 2)

Trees

Picea Mariana (Black Spruce): An evergreen coniferous tree usually less than 12 meters high. In its native habitat the trunk is usually straight without branches for most of its length. Trees growing in open areas are irregular in appearance. The bark of the tree is reddish brown to Grey and scaly. Twigs are light reddish brown, densely covered with short hairs. It grows mostly in poorly drained soil and in wet, boggy sites.

Larix Laricina (Juniper, Tamarack): Deciduous tree less than  15 meters in height. It has a straight and somewhat tapering trunk with nearly horizontal branches ending in upturned shoots. Bark is smooth and gray when young, reddish brown later. It grows in various habitats, barrens, bogs, hilltops, and forests.

Sorbus Decora (Mountain Ash, Dogberry): Deciduous tree bearing clusters of creamy white flowers in early summer turning to bright orange/red berries during the fall months and may persist through the winter. Bark is a bronze color on newer branches and graying-green to light green on the older trunks. Found throughout Labrador on rocky hill sides, forested areas and other habitats.

Populus Balsamifera (Balsam Poplar): Large deciduous tree growing up to 25 meters in height with an irregular open crown. Bark is gray-brown with shiny, dark green leaves, gradually tapering to a sharp tip. The root system is very invasive and should never be planted near buried water or sewer pipes. Found mostly on moist, rich bottom lands and near rivers throughout Newfoundland.

Populus Tremuloides (Aspen): Slender deciduous tree having an olive pale green smooth bark. Leaves are alternate and broadly ovate to nearly circular in outline. Found throughout most of the province, they grow in a variety of soils, but prefer well drained, moist loams.

Betula Cordifolia (Birch): A deciduous tree growing up to 20 meters in height with a yellowish bark peeling into thin paper curls that give the trunk a ragged appearance. Leaves are alternate and dark green in color. These trees are found in rich, moist wetlands and along mountain ridges.

Abies Balsamea (Balsam Fir): Evergreen, coniferous tree attaining heights up to 25 meters. Needles are narrowly linear, shiny green, spreading upwards on the twig. Bark is smooth, gray and somewhat scaly on older trees. Found throughout the province in numerous habitats.

Shrubs

Ledum Groenlandicum (Labrador Tea): An erect, free branching evergreen shrub usually less than 1 meter in height. Branches are brown to gray in color with most leaves crowded at the top of the shrub. Found in bogs, damp and dry areas, the leaves can be boiled and used to make Labrador Tea.

Alnus Crispa (Alder): An upright, coarse, deciduous shrub reaching up to 3 meters in height. Bark is brownish in color with alternate dark green leaves which are wrinkled above, light green and shiny beneath. Found along stream banks, roadside, and on rocky slopes.

Potentilla Fruitcosa (Shrubby Cinquefoil): Erect, dense, scrubby looking shrub about 1 meter in height. Leaves are crowded on the stems which are light reddish brown in color. They are usually found in wet areas near roadsides, shores of lakes and the edge of woods.

Kalmia Polifolia (Bog Lourd): Low, slender-stemmed evergreen shrub, smooth stems, shiny dark green leaves bearing clusters of deep pink flowers. These shrubs are found in bogs and wet areas in most of Labrador.

Rubus Idaeus (Red Raspberry): An upright arching shrub growing to about 1 meter in height. Branches are red in color covered with glandular bristles and dark green hairless leaves. Flowers appear on the shrub from June to July. Fruit appear by late July or early August in the form of many red droplets. These shrubs are found in dry and moist woods and along roadsides around the province.

Vaccinium Uliginosum (Bilberry): A many branched shrub about 30 centimeters in height and usually stout in appearance. The leaves are pale green, hairless, with a leathery appearance. White appears in clusters at the end of branches. Fruit, which are blue-black in color and are edible, ripen in late August. These are found on coastal peatland and open coniferous woods.

Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry): An intricately branched shrub about 10 centimeters in height spreading by underground stems. Twigs are green in color with the older branches being red. Flowers are bell shaped forming white or pinkish clusters at the tops of the branches from May to July. Fruit are blue, ripening in August and stay until frost. Blueberries grow around logs and in open woodland areas.

Viburnum Edule (Squash Berry): An erect or straggling shrub about 1-2 meters in height. Branches are grayish-brown with leaves that turn dark red in the fall. Flowers are milky-white, blooming from early to late June. Fruit on the shrubs are red, containing one seed. These shrubs are formed along brooks, damp valleys and along the edges of woods.

Vaccinium Vitis (Partridgeberry): Low, mat-forming shrub about 2-12 centimeters in height with creeping, slender stems. Leaves are crowded towards the stem tips with flowers of pink or reddish in color. Fruit are dark red when ripened in mid-September, remaining on the bush throughout the winter and flowering in spring. Berries are usually found on rocky and dry peaty soils around barren and coastal headlands.