Hello all! This is my first time posting here...encountered a strange, beautiful flower and was wondering if anyone has any idea what it might be? I was walking through the Confederation Park trail in North Burnaby when I saw all of these flowers I've never seen before. The stalk seemed too rugged and tall for an orchid, but the flowers were small and orchid-like. They were white, with pink edging and speckled inside. I'd love to know what they might be. If you have an idea, please let me know. janaya@vancouverbirthdoula.com
Yes, it was actually just this morning... I did check the coral root out as a possibility, but this was a much bigger plant. The stalk was reddish-green in colour, and thick, but was also had large green leaves. And pretty tall, about waist height. There were two or three flowers on each stalk I think.....the walk was only this morning but already I'm forgetting the details. :-) I'll have to go back with a camera tonight. I would say there were about 10-20 plants, most of the stalks clustered together. The plant itself didn't look all that extraordinary and I wouldn't have noticed it if not for the flower. I used to hunt for Lady's Slipper with my father when I was little and the flower was similar, just much smaller and paler.
I'll give it another guess: check out this thread and this thread re: Impatiens glandulifera. I saw some blooming at Deer Lake last weekend.
Dar! What a nasty pest for such a pretty flower...looks like the trails of North Burnaby will be riddled with it now. I'm sure my husband will use this to remind me and others of why its better to use native plants in our gardens rather than invasive species, no matter how pretty they are. Thanks very much for the info, Daniel.
