List of Canadian plants by genus C facts for kids

Canada is a huge country with many different types of plants! This page is like a special list of some of the amazing plants you can find here, organized by their scientific names.

When we talk about plants, some are native (N), meaning they have always grown naturally in Canada. Others are exotic (X), which means they were brought here from other parts of the world, sometimes on purpose, sometimes by accident. If we're not sure, they are marked with a question mark (?).

This list is just a small part of a much bigger collection, helping us explore Canada's incredible plant life!

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I J K | L | M | N | O | P Q | R | S | T | U V W | X Y Z

Common Canadian Plants: C Section

This section explores various plant groups found in Canada, starting with the letter 'C'. You'll learn about different types of grasses, flowers, and trees.

Ca: Plants from Cakile to Corylus

Here are some interesting plants whose scientific names begin with "Ca".

Searockets and Reedgrasses

• Cakile — These are called searockets.
  • Cakile edentula — The American searocket often grows near the ocean.
• Calamagrostis — Known as reedgrasses, these grasses are common.
  • Calamagrostis canadensis — The Canada bluejoint is a very common type of reedgrass in Canada.
  • Calamagrostis purpurascens — You might find purple reedgrass in rocky or mountain areas.

Water Plants and Orchids

• Calla — This group includes callas.
  • Calla palustris — The wild calla is a beautiful plant that grows in wetlands.
• Callitriche — These are small water-starworts.
  • Callitriche palustris — The vernal water-starwort grows in shallow water.
• Calopogon — These are grass-pinks, a type of orchid.
  • Calopogon tuberosus — The tuberous grass-pink is a lovely orchid.
• Caltha — These are marsh marigolds.
  • Caltha palustris — The marsh marigold has bright yellow flowers and grows in wet places.
• Calypso — This genus has beautiful orchids.
  • Calypso bulbosa — The calypso orchid is also called the fairy-slipper.

Bellflowers and Trumpet Vines

• Campanula — These are bellflowers, known for their bell-shaped blooms.
  • Campanula rotundifolia — The American harebell is a delicate blue flower often seen in fields.
• Campsis — This group includes trumpet vines.
  • Campsis radicans — The trumpet vine is a climbing plant with showy, trumpet-shaped flowers.

Toothworts and Hickories

• Cardamine — These are toothworts or bittercresses.
  • Cardamine diphylla — The twoleaf toothwort is an early spring wildflower.
• Carpinus — These are hornbeams.
  • Carpinus caroliniana — The American hornbeam is a small tree with very hard wood.
• Carya — These are hickories, known for their strong wood and nuts.
  • Carya cordiformis — The bitternut hickory is a common type of hickory.
  • Carya ovata — The shagbark hickory is easy to spot because its bark peels off in long strips.

Chestnuts and Indian Paintbrushes

• Castanea — This group includes chestnuts.
  • Castanea dentata — The American chestnut is a tree that is now Endangered in Canada. It was once very common.
• Castilleja — These are Indian paintbrushes, named for their colorful flower-like parts.
  • Castilleja coccinea — The scarlet Indian paintbrush has bright red "painted" tips.

Ce: Plants from Ceanothus to Ceratophyllum

This section covers plants starting with "Ce," including shrubs and water plants.

New Jersey Teas and Bittersweets

• Ceanothus — These are New Jersey teas, often used in gardens.
  • Ceanothus americanus — The New Jersey tea is a shrub that was once used as a tea substitute.
• Celastrus — These are bittersweets.
  • Celastrus scandens — The climbing bittersweet is a vine with bright orange berries in fall.

Hackberries and Buttonbushes

• Celtis — These are hackberries, a type of tree.
  • Celtis occidentalis — The common hackberry is a medium-sized tree.
  • Celtis tenuifolia — The dwarf hackberry is a smaller tree and is Threatened in Canada.
• Cephalanthus — These are buttonbushes.
  • Cephalanthus occidentalis — The common buttonbush has unique ball-shaped flowers.

Chickweeds and Hornworts

• Cerastium — These are mouse-ear chickweeds, often small plants.
  • Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum — The field mouse-ear chickweed is a common wildflower.
• Ceratophyllum — These are hornworts, which are aquatic plants.
  • Ceratophyllum demersum — The common hornwort is a submerged plant often found in ponds.

Ch: Plants from Chaerophyllum to Chrysosplenium

Here we look at plants starting with "Ch," including chervils and goosefeet.

Chervils and Leatherleafs

• Chaerophyllum — These are chervils.
  • Chaerophyllum procumbens var. procumbens — The spreading chervil is a small plant.
• Chamaedaphne — This group includes leatherleafs.
  • Chamaedaphne calyculata — The leatherleaf is a shrub found in bogs.

Turtleheads and Goosefeet

• Chelone — These are turtleheads, named for their flower shape.
  • Chelone glabra — The white turtlehead has white flowers that look like a turtle's head.
• Chenopodium — These are goosefeet, a diverse group of plants.
  • Chenopodium capitatum — The strawberry blite has bright red, berry-like clusters.
  • Chenopodium simplex — The mapleleaf goosefoot has leaves shaped like maple leaves.

Pipsissewas and Daisies

• Chimaphila — These are pipsissewas or wintergreens.
  • Chimaphila maculata — The striped pipsissewa is Endangered in Canada and has striped leaves.
  • Chimaphila umbellata — The pipsissewa is a common evergreen plant.
• Chrysanthemum — This group includes daisies.
  • Chrysanthemum arcticum — The arctic daisy can survive in very cold northern areas.

Ci: Plants from Cicuta to Cirsium

This section covers plants starting with "Ci," including water hemlocks and thistles.

Water Hemlocks and Cohoshes

• Cicuta — These are water hemlocks, which are known to be very poisonous.
  • Cicuta maculata — The spotted water hemlock is a dangerous plant found in wet areas.
• Cimicifuga — These are cohoshes.
  • Cimicifuga racemosa — The black cohosh is a tall plant with white flowers.

Wood Reedgrasses and Enchanter's Nightshades

• Cinna — These are wood reedgrasses.
  • Cinna latifolia — The slender wood reedgrass is a type of grass found in woodlands.
• Circaea — These are enchanter's nightshades.
  • Circaea alpina — The dwarf enchanter's nightshade is a small plant found in cool, moist woods.

Thistles

• Cirsium — These are thistles, known for their prickly leaves.
  • Cirsium discolor — The pasture thistle is a common thistle.
  • Cirsium hillii — Hill's thistle is a Threatened species in Canada.
  • Cirsium muticum — The swamp thistle grows in wet, marshy areas.
  • Cirsium pitcheri — The Pitcher's thistle is a special thistle that grows on sand dunes.

Cl: Plants from Cladium to Clintonia

This section explores plants starting with "Cl," including twigrushes and lilies.

Twigrushes and Spring Beauties

• Cladium — These are twigrushes.
  • Cladium mariscoides — The twigrush is a grass-like plant found in wetlands.
• Claytonia — These are spring beauties, early spring wildflowers.
  • Claytonia virginica — The eastern spring beauty is one of the first flowers to bloom in spring.

Virgin's-bowers and Dog Mints

• Clematis — These are virgin's-bowers, often climbing vines.
  • Clematis virginiana — The Virginia virgin's-bower is a vine with white flowers.
• Clinopodium — These are dog mints.
• X Clinopodium acinos — This is the mother-of-thyme, an exotic plant.
• Clinopodium vulgare — The wild basil is a native plant.

Blue-bead Lilies

• Clintonia — These are blue-bead lilies.
  • Clintonia borealis — The blue-bead lily is known for its bright blue berries.

Co: Plants from Coeloglossum to Corylus

This section covers plants starting with "Co," including orchids, dogwoods, and hazelnuts.

Green Orchises and Horsebalms

• Coeloglossum — These are green orchises, a type of orchid.
  • Coeloglossum viride var. viride — The bracted orchid is a small green orchid.
• Collinsia — These are horsebalms.
  • Collinsia canadensis — The Canada horsebalm is a plant found in rich woods.

Glueseeds and Sweetferns

• Collomia — These are glueseeds.
  • Collomia linearis — The glueseed is a small plant with sticky seeds.
• Comptonia — This group includes sweetferns.
  • Comptonia peregrina — The sweetfern is a shrub that smells like fern.

Squawroots and Fleabanes

• Conopholis — These are squawroots.
  • Conopholis americana — The squawroot is a strange plant that gets its food from tree roots.
• Conyza — These are fleabanes.
  • Conyza canadensis — The Canada fleabane is a common weed.

Goldthreads and Coralroots

• Coptis — These are goldthreads.
  • Coptis trifolia — The goldthread has bright yellow roots.
• Corallorrhiza — These are coralroots, a type of orchid that doesn't have green leaves.
  • Corallorrhiza maculata — The spotted coralroot is a common orchid.
  • Corallorrhiza trifida — The early coralroot is one of the first orchids to appear in spring.

Tickseeds and Dogwoods

• Coreopsis — These are tickseeds, often grown for their cheerful flowers.
  • Coreopsis lanceolata — The lanceleaf tickseed has bright yellow flowers.
• Cornus — These are dogwoods, a group of trees and shrubs.
  • Cornus canadensis — The Canada bunchberry is a small plant with bright red berries.
  • Cornus florida — The eastern flowering dogwood is famous for its beautiful white or pink "flowers" (which are actually special leaves).
  • Cornus stolonifera — The red-osier dogwood has bright red stems, especially in winter.

Corydalises and Hazelnuts

• Corydalis — These are corydalises.
  • Corydalis aurea — The golden corydalis has yellow flowers.
• Corylus — These are hazelnuts, known for their tasty nuts.
  • Corylus americana — The American hazelnut is a shrub that produces edible nuts.
  • Corylus cornuta — The beaked hazelnut has nuts enclosed in a "beaked" husk.

Cr: Plants from Crassula to Cryptotaenia

This section covers plants starting with "Cr," including pygmyweeds and hawthorns.

Pygmyweeds and Hawthorns

• Crassula — These are pygmyweeds.
  • Crassula aquatica — The water pygmyweed is a tiny plant that grows in water.
• Crataegus — These are hawthorns, a large group of thorny trees and shrubs. They are known for their small, apple-like fruits called "haws."
  • Crataegus chrysocarpa — The fireberry hawthorn has bright red berries.
  • Crataegus crus-galli — The cockspur hawthorn has very long, sharp thorns.
  • Crataegus douglasii — The black hawthorn has dark, almost black, berries.
  • Crataegus mollis — The downy hawthorn has fuzzy leaves and twigs.
  • Crataegus punctata — The dotted hawthorn has berries with small dots.
  • Crataegus submollis — The Québec hawthorn is a common type in eastern Canada.

Rockbrakes and Honeworts

• Cryptogramma — These are rockbrakes, a type of fern.
  • Cryptogramma acrostichoides — The American rockbrake grows on rocks.
• Cryptotaenia — These are honeworts.
  • Cryptotaenia canadensis — The Canada honewort is a plant found in moist woods.

Cu: Plants from Cuscuta

This section covers plants starting with "Cu," specifically dodders.

Dodders

• Cuscuta — These are dodders, which are parasitic plants. They don't have roots in the ground and get their food from other plants.
  • Cuscuta campestris — The field dodder is a common type.
  • Cuscuta gronovii — The common dodder looks like tangled orange or yellow spaghetti on other plants.

Cy: Plants from Cycloloma to Cystopteris

This section covers plants starting with "Cy," including pigweeds, flatsedges, lady's-slippers, and ferns.

Pigweeds and Comfreys

• Cycloloma — These are pigweeds.
  • Cycloloma atriplicifolium — The winged pigweed is known for its winged seeds.
• Cynoglossum — These are comfreys.
  • Cynoglossum boreale — The northern wild comfrey is a plant with hairy leaves.

Flatsedges

• Cyperus — These are flatsedges, a group of grass-like plants often found in wet areas.
  • Cyperus esculentus — The yellow nutgrass is a common flatsedge.
  • Cyperus strigosus — The straw-coloured flatsedge is another common type.

Lady's-slippers

• Cypripedium — These are lady's-slippers, a beautiful group of orchids named for their pouch-like petals.
  • Cypripedium acaule — The pink lady's-slipper is a popular and easily recognized orchid.
  • Cypripedium candidum — The small white lady's-slipper is Endangered in Canada.
  • Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens — The large yellow lady's-slipper is a striking yellow orchid.
  • Cypripedium reginae — The showy lady's-slipper is one of the largest and most beautiful lady's-slippers.

Bladder Ferns

• Cystopteris — These are bladder ferns, a type of fern.
  • Cystopteris fragilis — The fragile fern is a delicate fern that grows in rocky areas.
  • Cystopteris montana — The mountain bladder fern is found in mountainous regions.