Description
Every summer, the fragrant wild rose colours Alberta’s landscape so that everywhere you look, there’s a profusion of pink—a sight that proves you’re in Wild Rose Country. Our ninth Floral Emblems of Canada presents a close view of Alberta’s official flower in peak bloom. This sun-loving shrub is named for the flowers that appear on prickly stems in late June or July. And just like Manitoba, Alberta adopted its floral emblem democratically: the final choice was made by schoolchildren in 1930, a quarter century after the mountainous province joined Confederation. It is the nineth coin in the Floral Emblems series. The Mintage is limited to 4,000. HST/GST exempt.
The Design:
The reverse design by Canadian artist Lisa Thomson-Khan features a colour portrait of the official floral emblem of Alberta, the wild rose. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
Alberta – Wild Rose:
Rosa acicularis, also known as the prickly wild rose, the prickly rose, the bristly rose, the wild rose and the Arctic rose. It is a deciduous shrub growing 1–3 m tall. The leaves are pinnate, 7–14 cm long, with three to seven leaflets. The leaflets are ovate, with serrate (toothed) margins. The flowers are pink (rarely white), 3.5–5 cm diameter; the hips are red, pear-shaped to ovoid, 10–15 mm diameter.
