Support Local Conservation Efforts

The award winning Rare Vascular Plants of Alberta* (2002 Scholarly Book of the Year Alberta Book Awards, and The Canadian Forest Service Merit Award) was published over 20 years ago, but is now, sadly, out of print and out of date. This book has been an important tool for identifying and recording rare plants in Alberta's wild spaces, enabling their protection.

The Alberta Native Plant Council are in the final stages of publishing our latest book, the 2nd edition of the Rare Vascular Plants of Alberta, and are seeking financial support to complete our first print run Spring 2022. The manuscript has been compiled over the last 6 years with contributions from volunteers and technical experts, and has been submitted to the publisher where the final rounds of edits are being applied.  Despite our best efforts, we have fallen short of our fundraising goal.

Your Donation Can Help!

The 2nd edition of the Rare Vascular Plants of Alberta will feature nearly 500 species, 150 of which are new to this edition, and, as before, combine detailed botanical descriptions, plant habitats, and phenological information with hundreds of photographs, illustrations, and provincial and North American distribution maps – information necessary to confirm the occurrence of rare and imperiled species, and facilitate their conservation. This is an essential Alberta field reference for professional and amateur native plant enthusiasts alike, with broad applicability in neighbouring provinces and states.

Approximately 22 percent of Alberta’s native vascular plant species are classified as rare in the province. This book is a valuable tool for learning more about these unusual species and their habitats. This increases our appreciation of Alberta’s wild plants and encourages the ethos and practices of land stewardship that facilitate the conservation of rare species. This book is for anyone interested in learning more about rare plants in Alberta. Teachers, students, and natural history enthusiasts can use it to learn more about the wide variety of such plants. Land-use planners, environmental practitioners, and researchers can determine which rare species might be expected to occur in different habitats or regions, and how – and when – to identify these plants during fieldwork.

 Photo Credits:

Lupinus polyphyllus var. humicola by Linda Kershaw

Asclepias viridiflora by Jane Lancaster