Wild Hyacinth (Camassia Scilloides) Is a Showy, Spring Flowering Bulbous Plant of the Lily Family
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COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Wild Hyacinth Camassia scilloides in Canada THREATENED 2002 COSEWIC COSEPAC COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF COMITÉ SUR LA SITUATION ENDANGERED WILDLIFE DES ESPÈCES EN PÉRIL IN CANADA AU CANADA COSEWIC status reports are working documents used in assigning the status of wildlife species suspected of being at risk. This report may be cited as follows: COSEWIC 2002. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the wild hyacinth Camassia scilloides in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 14 pp. Previous report: Oldham, M.J. 1990. COSEWIC status report on the wild hyacinth Camassia scilloides in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-14 pp.. Production note: COSEWIC would like to acknowledge John D. Ambrose for writing the status report on the Wild hyacinth Camassia scilloides, prepared under contract with Environment Canada. For additional copies contact: COSEWIC Secretariat c/o Canadian Wildlife Service Environment Canada Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Tel.: (819) 997-4991 / (819) 953-3215 Fax: (819) 994-3684 E-mail: COSEWIC/[email protected] http://www.cosewic.gc.ca Également disponible en français sous le titre Évaluation et Rapport de situation du COSEPAC sur la camassie faux-scille (Camassia scilloides) au Canada – Mise à jour. Cover illustration: Wild hyacinth — Photograph by D. Kirk, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada 2003 Catalogue No.CW69-14/299-2003E-IN ISBN 0-662-34211-9 Recycled paper COSEWIC Assessment Summary Assessment Summary – May 2002 Common name Wild Hyacinth Scientific name Camassis scilloides Status Threatened Reason for designation This species is present at only six island sites within a highly restricted and limited habitat subject to significant risks from cormorants and continued land development. Occurrence Ontario Status history Designated Special Concern in April 1990. Status re-examined and uplisted to Threatened in May 2002. Last assessment based on an update status report. iii COSEWIC Executive Summary Wild Hyacinth Camassia scilloides Species information Wild Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) is a showy, spring flowering bulbous plant of the Lily family. It has star shaped flowers that are pale blue to white on a flowering stalk up to 70cm high and basal leaves that are long and narrow. It is the eastern species of Camassia Distribution It ranges from southeastern United States through the Mississippi valley to its extremely limited range in Canada, on the Lake Erie Island of Ontario. Habitat In Ontario it occurs in open hackberry or mixed species forests of the Erie Islands where soils are typically rich in organic matter but with limestone bedrock often only a shovel’s depth away. It is a component of the spring ground flora. Biology Wild hyacinth is a perennial spring flowering herb that develops from a bulb. Diverse insects visit the flowers on sunny days and likely promote cross pollination. Genetic variability within colonies is indicated by the presence of both blue and white flowered plants. Seeds are dispersed from dry capsules in the fall and tend to be disseminated locally, judging from the clumping of plants and seedlings near the parent colonies. Population sizes and trends Five populations are large (2,000-5,000+) and stable; in the past 13 years one was lost and one is about 15% of its previous recorded size both due to intensive cormorant nesting; , and one sub-population was lost in the past 8 years due to land clearing. In the past several decades two historical populations were lost to housing development A recent survey of all know sites, undertaken with a large crew of knowledgeable volunteers, yielded a total count of 21,212 flowering plants (the unit compared iv throughout except for 700 vegetative plants where none were flowering due to cormorants). In the late 1980s, the count ranged between approximately 14,000 to 16,000 plants. This range excludes the large population on Hen Island (presently at over 5000 plants) for which no count was previously available. The 1980s total count for all populations may have been in the order of 18,000-21,000 plants, taking into consideration an estimated 4000-5000 plants for the Hen Island population. Without the threat of cormorants, there might have been an increase, but the significance of this is questionable since previously unrecorded colonies of Camassia were found within the known sites by the large crew of observers. However, despite the impact on the two large populations (Middle Island and East Sister Island) by cormorants, the overall population status of Wild Hyacinth appears to be stable. Limiting factors and threats Two historical sites have been lost (Bois Blanc and North Harbour Islands) due to clearing for housing development. More recently East Sister Island’s population has been lost to the impact of Double-crested Cormorants nesting in large colonies (5,000+) and degrading both the forest trees as well as transforming the ground flora. The population on Middle Island is under threat due to the same transformation by the cormorants. A small site in the northern part of the Fish Point population complex has also been lost due to land clearing for cottage development. Other private lands are under similar threats as Pelee Island becomes more popular for recreational/seasonal homes. Nowhere throughout its range is it considered secure; it is listed as critically imperiled to vulnerable in 11 states and Ontario. Special significance of the species This species was used extensively by native people in the west and likely similarly used by eastern native people in Lake Erie. It is a component of southern Ontario’s diverse Carolinian flora. v COSEWIC MANDATE The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) determines the national status of wild species, subspecies, varieties, and nationally significant populations that are considered to be at risk in Canada. Designations are made on all native species for the following taxonomic groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, lepidopterans, molluscs, vascular plants, lichens, and mosses. COSEWIC MEMBERSHIP COSEWIC comprises representatives from each provincial and territorial government wildlife agency, four federal agencies (Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Federal Biosystematic Partnership), three nonjurisdictional members and the co-chairs of the species specialist groups. The committee meets to consider status reports on candidate species. DEFINITIONS Species Any indigenous species, subspecies, variety, or geographically defined population of wild fauna and flora. Extinct (X) A species that no longer exists. Extirpated (XT) A species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere. Endangered (E) A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction. Threatened (T) A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed. Special Concern (SC)* A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events. Not at Risk (NAR)** A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk. Data Deficient (DD)*** A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation. * Formerly described as “Vulnerable” from 1990 to 1999, or “Rare” prior to 1990. ** Formerly described as “Not In Any Category”, or “No Designation Required.” *** Formerly described as “Indeterminate” from 1994 to 1999 or “ISIBD” (insufficient scientific information on which to base a designation) prior to 1994. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977 as a result of a recommendation at the Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference held in 1976. It arose from the need for a single, official, scientifically sound, national listing of wildlife species at risk. In 1978, COSEWIC designated its first species and produced its first list of Canadian species at risk. Species designated at meetings of the full committee are added to the list. Environment Environnement Canada Canada Canada Canadian Wildlife Service canadien Service de la faune The Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, provides full administrative and financial support to the COSEWIC Secretariat. vi Update COSEWIC Status Report on the Wild Hyacinth Camassia scilloides in Canada 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS SPECIES INFORMATION............................................................................................... 3 Name and Classification .............................................................................................. 3 Description................................................................................................................... 3 DISTRIBUTION............................................................................................................... 3 Global Range............................................................................................................... 3 Canadian Range.......................................................................................................... 4 HABITAT .........................................................................................................................5 Habitat requirements ................................................................................................... 5 Trends ........................................................................................................................