Native plants of Newfoundland and Labrador: rugged, useful — sometimes carnivorous

Newfoundland, the East Coast island that’s been called The Rock since long before a certain wrestler, and its mainland neighbour, Labrador, don’t boast Canada’s most fertile growing conditions. But resilient species have found plenty of ways to put down roots and support the province’s terrestrial ecosystems.

Tough trees and plants are found in all three of the province’s land-based ecozones: the Arctic Cordillera, Taiga Shield and Boreal Shield (see map).

The northernmost part of Labrador, abutting northeastern Québec, is part of the Arctic Cordillera. This mountainous, rocky and icy region has short summers but tough species of mosses, lichens, tundra plants and shrubs can grow there, providing food for wildlife like the collared lemming, willow ptarmigan and Arctic hare.

The largest part of Labrador falls within the Taiga Shield, which tends to be warmer, wetter and more inviting for plants than the Arctic Cordillera. Its wetlands, meadows, trees and shrubs support herbivores, including both barren-ground and woodland caribou, snowshoe hare and moose.

The island of Newfoundland and coastal parts of Labrador are in the Boreal Shield ecozone, with landscapes full of forests, wetlands, rivers, lakes, mountains and exposed rock. The effect of the Atlantic Ocean makes this region’s climate milder and wetter than the province’s other ecozones, and its plants provide food for wildlife like white-tailed deer, eastern chipmunk and blue jay.

The province is also home to more than half a million people, many of whom use native plants and the wildlife that depend on them for food, tea, medicine, lumber and more. Read on to discover three of these remarkable species.

Purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea)

This truly bonkers-looking species is the only pitcher plant found in Canada. Its leafless stalk bearing a single nodding, otherworldly purple-red flower — almost like a person in a dystopian bonnet — that grows up to 30 centimetres tall. After flowering, it produces a round seed capsule.

While the purple pitcher plants’ flowers are captivating, their leaves are literally so. Located at the bottom of the stalk, their curved shape forms a container that collects water. These plants attract insects with fragrant nectar and a purple leaf pattern resembling veins. These insects then fall into the water and are unable to climb out due to downward-pointing hairs on the insides of the leaves. The plants dissolve and absorb nutrients from their insect prey, supplementing their diet with nutrients that are scarce in the soils where they grow.

The purple pitcher plant was featured on Newfoundland’s coins from the Victorian era until 1938 and eventually selected as the provincial floral symbol. They have been used by Indigenous Peoples for a range of medicinal applications; for example, Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik peoples have used them to treat respiratory illnesses.

Growing tips

Purple pitcher plant seeds are commercially available. This species prefers a wet habitat with thin, nutrient-poor, acidic soil. (In nature, they’re  usually found in wetlands). Avoid watering with tap water — use rainwater instead — and avoid fertilizer, as high nutrient levels can harm these plants.

This species is native to every Canadian province and territory except Yukon. Within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, they are most often observed on the island.

Benefits for wildlife

Certain species of mosquito, midge and fly live among the pitcher plant’s leaves and eat some of its insect catch. These insect residents are equipped with adaptations that prevent them from being dissolved themselves. Spiders make webs on the pitcher and catch insects that the plant attracts. Aphids and caterpillars eat parts of the plant, while bumble bees are attracted to its flowers.

Black spruce (Picea mariana)

This small to medium sized conifer grows up to 30 metres tall and can live as long as 200 years. To identify it, check for needles that are four-sided, blue-green or grey-green and blunt, and bark that is greyish-brown or reddish-brown. The cones of black spruce are 2-3 centimetres long, dark brown and egg-shaped when mature, and are concentrated on the upper part of the tree. These cones can stay on the tree for as many as 30 years.

Black spruce is used for pulp, lumber and Christmas trees, among other commercial uses. As well as being the province’s official tree emblem, the spruce’s twig also has a place of honour on Labrador’s flag.

Growing tips

This tree is slow growing and able to thrive in different moisture, light and soil conditions, including shallow soils and partial shade.

Black spruce is native to every province and territory in Canada and grows on the island of Newfoundland as well as in Labrador.

Benefits for wildlife

This helpful tree provides seeds for various birds and mammals. Hares and moose eat its twigs and songbirds nest in the branches. Moose also cool themselves in its shade in warmer months.

Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum)

This pretty plant grows up to one metre tall and bears long, thin, pointed leaves that remain green all year. Their stems and the undersides of the leaves have small hairs on them, with the underside of the leaves appearing fuzzy and orange or brown. Dozens of small white flowers form a rounded cluster, which later gives way to a fuzzy, oval-shaped seed capsule. Labrador tea can re-sprout quickly after a fire thanks to root crowns and rhizomes growing under the surface of the soil.

As the name implies, people steep its aromatic leaves to produce a tea, which is high in vitamin C and has a variety of traditional medicinal uses. Their leaves are also sometimes chewed or used as a seasoning to impart a sweet, piney flavour to dishes.

Growing tips

Labrador tea grows in a range of light conditions, including partial shade, as well as a variety of moisture conditions. In nature, it’s found in a range of wet, acidic habitats including barrens, wetlands, woods and beside ponds. Labrador tea is flood tolerant and would thrive in a soggy part of a yard such as near a downspout. It can be grown from cuttings or seeds sown on shaded peat moss. Plants and seeds are commercially available.

This flower is native to every province and territory in Canada and is found both on Newfoundland and in Labrador.

Benefits for wildlife

Labrador tea provides cover for birds like ruffed grouse and spruce grouse and its stems serve as nesting material for palm warblers. Their nectar attracts butterflies and bumble bees while caterpillars of the northern blue butterfly depend on their leaves as food. Labrador tea is also munched by moose and deer.