Download Yukon is home to more than 1200 species of plants, many (around 54)

 YUKON CONSERVATION DATA CENTRE RARE PLANT INFORMATION SHEETS  INTRODUCTION  Yukon is home to more than 1200 species of plants, many (around 54) of which are found nowhere else in Canada. A better understanding of species distribution, abundance, threats and trends is necessary to sustainably manage the pressures on the territory’s natural resources. The Yukon Conservation Data Centre (CDC) aims to increase general awareness of rare plants and to help professionals and amateurs to identify rare species.  HOW ARE PLANTS ASSESSED?  The Yukon CDC assigns a conservation rank to all wild species known to exist in Yukon, in accordance with NatureServe methodology (visit NatureServe’s website for more information on Natural Heritage Methodology). Yukon CDC also compiles Tracking Lists for groups of wild species using these ranks, as well as current available information. Tracked species are those that are of global conservation concern by NatureServe, and/or are of specific conservation concern in Yukon as identified by the Yukon CDC, and/or are federally listed under the federal Species At Risk Act. Detailed location and status data are accumulated and maintained, and known populations are monitored as resources permit. Tracked species’ statuses are reviewed as information becomes available, and ranks may be up‐ or down‐graded based on new information. The Yukon CDC continually reviews species for tracking, and formally twice per year following COSEWIC assessment periods.  HOW TO USE THESE SHEETS  These sheets are organized alphabetically by scientific name. Individual sheets, groups of species, or the entire set may be printed for field or office use. Sheets include basic information on taxonomy, conservation status, habitat, range, and distinguishing features, and photos and drawings where available to aid field identification. A glossary of selected terms can be found at the end of these pages. Because sheets will be updated as information becomes available, you should check the Yukon CDC website for new versions. Please contact the Yukon CDC if you want us to compile habitat‐ or region‐
specific lists, or for other data requests.  WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A RARE PLANT  If you encounter one of the tracked species or something you suspect may be one of these species while working or travelling on the land, please contact the Yukon CDC with your information. Vascular Plant Field Form (available on the website) will help you record information such as:  location (mark a GPS waypoint if possible),  date and time,  observer name,  population size (count or estimate the number of individuals if possible) and,  area of extent (e.g. did you find them all over the mountainside on only at one site) Take photographs, if you can, of the habitat, substrate, and the plant (flowering or fruiting parts, leaves, and stems). Submitted photo(s) can use used to verify or add information. With your permission, the Yukon CDC could also add photos to that plant’s ID sheet. Voucher specimens (collected plant material) are critical in rare plant work. But rare plant populations can often be very small, making voucher collection questionable. The surveyor must weigh the pros and cons of taking specimens. Full vouchers (entire plants) should only be taken if the population is large enough to withstand the loss of an individual. Consider the “1 in 20 rule”; only take one plant if there are 20 others. While good quality photos are usually sufficient for identification, there really is no substitute for a specimen for verifying identification. Most plants can be identified without taking the whole plant.  CONSERVATION RANKS  The NatureServe Global and Yukon (i.e. “sub‐national”) rank for each species is listed in the upper left section of the sheet. NatureServe ranks are determined at the territorial level by the Yukon CDC and at the Global level by NatureServe using a standard method, and are regularly reviewed. In many cases, where the species is not found outside of Yukon, the Global Rank will also be calculated by the Yukon CDC. Ranks are calculated based on several factors: Rarity (range extent, population size); Trends (in population size or range); and Threats. NatureServe ranks are calculated and maintained by CDCs in each region and are then compiled by NatureServe to calculate National and Global ranks for species. This information is used by species experts, in part, to determine COSEWIC and General Status of Wild Species conservation status in Canada. From NatureServe Explorer: The conservation status of a species or ecosystem is designated by a number from 1 to 5, preceded by a letter reflecting the appropriate geographic scale of the assessment (G = Global), N = National, and S = Subnational). The numbers have the following meaning: X = presumed extinct or extirpated 1 = critically imperiled H = possibly extinct or extirpated 2 = imperiled NR = status has not yet been assessed 3 = vulnerable 4 = apparently secure U = unrankable with present information 5 = secure For example, G1 would indicate that a species is critically imperiled across its entire range (i.e., globally). In this sense the species as a whole is regarded as being at very high risk of extinction. A rank of S3 would indicate the species is vulnerable and at moderate risk within a particular state or province, even though it may be more secure elsewhere. In some cases, a “range rank” (e.g. G2G3) is designated if there is not enough information to specify a rank. “T” in a rank indicates sub‐ or infra‐species.  HOW TO CONTACT THE YUKON CONSERVATION DATA CENTRE  For more information on these or other species of conservation concern, to report a sighting or submit data, or to request data for plants or animals of conservation concern contact: Mailing Address: Phone: 867‐667‐5331
Environment Yukon Toll‐free: 1‐800‐661‐0408 local 5331
Government of Yukon Fax: 867‐393‐6405 Box 2703 (V‐5N) Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada Y1A 2C6 Physical Address: Email: [email protected] Environment Yukon Website: www.env.gov.ca/cdc 10 Burns Road Whitehorse, Yukon aphr_esch
Yukon Rare Plant Information Sheet • May, 2012
Aleutian Cress
Aphragmus eschscholtzianus
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Synonyms: Braya eschscholtziana.; Eutrema eschscholtzianum
Habitat: Alpine tundra, heath and solifluction areas by
rivulets
DISTRIBUTION
Yukon: Southwestern Yukon south of 62°N
North America: Yukon, British Columbia and found further
north in Alaska to 67°N
World: Amphiberingian
© NRC Research Press
Distinguishing features: This species can be distinquished
from all other species of mustard by being a plant with the
combined characters: silique-bearing, stem leaves crowded
below the inflorescence, and a short stature (usually
<2cm). Most often confused with Cadamine bellidifolia
which lacks the stem leaves.
F. Baldwin
Global rank: Possibly Secure (G4)
Yukon rank: Imperilled to Vulnerable (S2S3)
B. Bennett – YG
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For more information, contact the
Yukon Conservation Data Centre at 867-667-3684 or [email protected].
toxi_rydb
Yukon Rare Plant Information Sheet • May, 2012
Saltwater Cress
Arabidopsis salsuginea
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Synonyms: Thellungiella salsuginea
Habitat: Alkaline flats and at the edges of saline pools
DISTRIBUTION
Yukon: South-central Yukon south of 61°N
North America: Yukon to Ontario, Montana, Idaho and
Colorado
World: North America
© NRC Research Press
F. Baldwin
Global rank: Apparently Secure to Secure (G4G5)
Yukon rank: Imperilled (S2)
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B. Bennett
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For more information, contact the
Yukon Conservation Data Centre at 867-667-3684 or [email protected].
arte_rupe
Yukon Rare Plant Information Sheet • May, 2012
Rock Wormwood
Artemisia rupestris ssp. woodii
Composite Family (Asteraceae)
Habitat: Dry calcareous loess, open montane to alpine
slopes
DISTRIBUTION
Yukon: Southwestern Yukon north to about 62°N
North America: Yukon
World: Endemic to southwestern Yukon
Global rank: Imperilled (G3?T2)
Yukon rank: Imperilled (S2)
Species at Risk Act rank: Not At Risk
B. Bennett
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J.M. Line - YG
B. Bennett
Illustration L. Mennell - YG
© NRC Research Press
Distinguishing features: Stems from a woody base of low
growing mats, basal leaves mostly linear, plant viscous
with glutinose glands, particularly in the flowers
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For more information, contact the
Yukon Conservation Data Centre at 867-667-3684 or [email protected].
care_sabu
Yukon Rare Plant Information Sheet • May, 2012
Baikal Sedge
Carex sabulosa
Sedge Family (Cyperaceae)
Synonyms: C. sabulosa ssp. leiophylla; C. leiophylla
Habitat: Sand dunes, river deltas, and creek banks
DISTRIBUTION
Yukon: South-central and southwestern Yukon
North America: Yukon and Alaska
World: Amphiberingian
J. Meikle
© NRC Research Press
Distinguishing features: This is a distinctive species of
dunes and sandy soils. Sheath is purplish, leaves are curly,
and head is nodding and dragging on the ground at
maturity, and the terminal spike is usually gynaecandrous.
Occasionally it is confused with C. maritima which has
straight leaves and an androgynous terminal spike.
J. Line
Global rank: Secure (G5)
Yukon rank: Imperilled (S2)
Species at Risk Act rank: Threatened
J. Meikle
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For more information, contact the
Yukon Conservation Data Centre at 867-667-3684 or [email protected].
Yukon Rare Plant Information Sheet • May, 2012
Dry-land Sedge, White-scale Sedge
Carex xerantica
Sedge Family (Cyperaceae)
Habitat: Dry grassy slopes
Distribution:
Yukon: South-central Yukon; known only from Agay Mene
Territorial Park
North America: Great Plains, western Canada and Alaska,
Ontario
World: North America
J. Staniforth - YG
Illustration by J.R. Janish courtesy of the
University of Washington Press
Distinguishing features: Carex xerantica is separated from
C. petasata by having whitish/yellowish pistillate scales
with indistinct veins, a smaller perigyna, and a distinctive
pale silvery aspect to inflorescence.
A. Ceska
Global rank: Secure (G5)
Yukon rank: Critically Imperilled (S1)
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For more information, contact the
Yukon Conservation Data Centre at 867-667-3684 or [email protected].
Yukon Rare Plant Information Sheet • May, 2012
Narrowleaf Goosefoot
Chenopodium leptophyllum
Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae)
Habitat: Grassy alkaline flats
Distribution:
Yukon: South-central Yukon
North America: Throughout North America, except
northern and eastern Canada
World: North America
J. Fenneman (both photos)
Global rank: Secure (G5)
Yukon rank: Critically Imperilled (S1)
Distinguishing features: Chenopodium leptophyllum
A. Ceska
Illustration by J.R. Janish courtesy of the
University of Washington Press
differs from the common garden weed, Lamb’s Quarter
(Chenopodium album), by having densely farinose, narrow,
linear leaves, branching from the base rather than the
stem, and by its smaller stature.
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For more information, contact the
Yukon Conservation Data Centre at 867-667-3684 or [email protected].
Yukon Rare Plant Information Sheet • May, 2012
Pigmyweed, Water Pygmyweed
Crassula aquatica
Stonecrop Family (Crassulaceae)
Synonyms: Tillaea aquatica
Habitat: Mudflats and shallow pools
Distribution:
Yukon: South-central Yukon; known only from Marsh and
Nares lakes
North America: North America, except Great Plains and
southeastern United States
World: Scattered circumtemperate
Global rank: Secure (G5)
Yukon rank: Critically Imperilled (S1)
YG photo
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A. Ceska
© Province of British Columbia
Distinguishing features: A small aquatic annual that is
separated taxonomically from terrestrial Sedum/Rhodiola
by having 4-parted flowers with 4 stamens. It is sometimes
confused with Montia fontana, which have flowers that
extend further on recurved pedicles.
For more information, contact the
Yukon Conservation Data Centre at 867-667-3684 or [email protected].
drab_sten
Yukon Rare Plant Information Sheet • May, 2012
Dense-leaved Draba
Draba densifolia
Mustard Family (Brassicaceae)
Habitat: Alpine tundra and scree slopes, generally on dry
sites
DISTRIBUTION
Yukon: South-central Yukon, known only from Kusawa
Lake and Montana Mountain
North America: Western North America
World: Cordilleran
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S. Nielsen
Distinguishing features: Glabrous adaxial leaf surfaces,
only sparsely pubescent abaxial surfaces.
S. Nielsen
Global rank: Secure (G5)
Yukon rank: Critically Imperilled to Vulnerable (S1S3)
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For more information, contact the
Yukon Conservation Data Centre at 867-667-3684 or [email protected].
mala_palu
Yukon Rare Plant Information Sheet • May, 2012
Bristle-like Quillwort
Isoetes echinospora
Quillwort Family (Isoetaceae)
Synonyms: I. muricata var. braunii
Habitat: Silty lake or pond margins; often submerged
DISTRIBUTION
Yukon: Southern Yukon south of 62°N
North America: Throughout Canada and Alaska, and
western and northeastern United States
World: North America
J. Line - YG
© NRC Research Press
J. Pojar
Global rank: Secure (G5)
Yukon rank: Critically Imperilled (S1)
J. Line - YG
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For more information, contact the
Yukon Conservation Data Centre at 867-667-3684 or [email protected].
SELECTED GLOSSARY ABAXIAL  On the side of a structure turned away from the main axis. ACAULESCENT  Stemless. ACUMINATE  Tapering to a narrow tip or concave point, the sides generally concavely narrowing, "long‐
pointed”. ADAXIAL  On the side of a structure, turned toward the main axis. APEX  Tip, point or end. AWN  A slender bristlelike appendage, usually at the apex of a structure. AXIL  The angle between a structure and the axis to which it is attached (e.g., the angle between a leaf and the stem). AXILLARY  Used in reference to structures attached in the axil or juncture of stem and leaf stalks. BASAL  At, or forming, the base. BEAK  A long, slender projection on a broader structure such as a fruit or seed. BIDENTATE  With two teeth, "2‐cleft". BIFURCATE  Divided into two forks or branches. BIPINNATIFID  Twice branched. CAESPITOSE  Growing in dense, low‐lying clumps, "tufted". CALLUS  A hard or firm thickening of a structure. In grasses, the thick, hardened basal portion of the lemma. CALYX  A collective name referring to the sepals, the outer whorl of the perianth. CAUDEX  The woody, thickened and persistent basal portion of an herbaceous perennial that gives rise to leaves and flowering stems each year, i.e. “stem‐base”. CAULINE  Of, or pertaining to, the stem, i.e. "stem leaves". CIRCUMSCISSILE  A capsule that dehisces transversely in a circular line, like the opening of a lid. CONNATE  Union or attachment of like parts (e.g., petals), "fused". CORM  A thickened, underground stem with papery leaves; a storage organ. CRENATE  Toothed with rounded, broad teeth, "round‐toothed". CULM  The flowering stem of grasses, sedges and rushes. CYME  An inflorescence in which all floral axes terminate in a single flower with the terminal flower, at the apex of the inflorescence, blooming first. DEFLEXED  Bent downward or backward. DENTICULATE  Finely dentate or serrate (with sharp, spreading teeth). DIOECIOUS  Male and female reproductive structures borne on different plants. DISARTICULATE  The separation of structures at maturity. FARINOSE  Covered with a white mealy substance. FILIFORM  "Threadlike", slender and cylindrical. FLORET  A small flower, particularly one (1) in a floral cluster; pertains also to the flower of a grass spikelet which includes the lemma, palea and reproductive structures. GLABROUS  “Smooth”, without hairs or glands. GLAND  A spot or structure that produces a sticky or greasy substance. GLANDULAR  Having glands. GLUMES  The two small bracts located at the base of a grass spikelet; they do not subtend flowers. (subtend: to be positioned directly or closely beneath something.) GLUTINOUS  Covered with a sticky, glue‐like resin. HASTATE  Shaped like the head of an arrow with the basal lobes flaring outward, "arrowhead‐shaped”. HISPID  Bearing long, rigid and very sharp bristles or "bristle‐like" hairs. HISPIDULOUS  Slightly hispid. INCISED  Cut sharply, deeply and irregularly, as in leaf margins. INDUSIUM (PL. INDUSIA)  A scale‐like outgrowth that covers and protects the cluster of sporangia located on the underside of a fern frond. INFLORESCENCE  The flowering cluster, categorized by the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis. INTERCOSTAL  Between ribs or veins. INVOLUCRE  A rosette of bracts subtending an inflorescence or head. INVOLUTE  Margins longitudinally in‐rolled, on the upper side, toward the center. LANCEOLATE  "Lance‐shaped"; longer than broad, widening above the base and tapering to the apex. LEMMA  The outermost of the two bracts that subtend the grass floret (See palea). LIGULATE  With a ligule. LIGULE  Flattened part of the ray corolla in the Asteraceae family; in many grasses and some sedges and rushes, a membranous or hair‐like appendage on the inner side of the leaf at the junction of the leaf blade and the sheath. MALPHIGIACEOUS  Hairs attached to a surface by their centers. OBOVATE  The reverse of ovate; attached at the narrow end, "egg‐shaped". OBTUSE  Blunt, rounded. OVATE  Shaped like an egg, attached at the broader end, "egg‐shaped". Term applied to plane surfaces. PALEA  The innermost of the 2 bracts that subtend the floret in grasses (see lemma). PANICLE  A branching inflorescence on which younger flowers are borne at the apex. PAPPUS  The modified outer perianth series crowning the ovary and achene in the Asteraceae; usually plumose, bristle‐like, or of scales. PEDICEL  The "stalk" of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a spikelet in grasses. PEDUNCLE  The single supporting stalk of a flower or inflorescence. PERIANTH  A collective term for the calyx and corolla. PERIGYNIUM  A "pouched" bract surrounding the pistil or achene in Carex species; a modified, tubular bract. PETIOLES  Leaf stalk. PHYLLARY  One of the bracts below the flowerhead in the species of the Asteraceae family. PINNATE  Compound leaf with the leaflets on both sides of an elongated axis. PINNATIFID  Pinnately lobed. PISTILLATE  Flowers possessing pistils, but no functional stamens (i.e., a female flower). PUBESCENT  "Hairy". PULVINATE  Cushion‐ or mat‐like. RACHIS  The main stalk of an inflorescence or compound leaf, the "axis of inflorescence". RETRORSE  Directed backward or downward. (Retroverse.) SCAPE  A leafless flower stalk growing directly from the ground. SCAPOSE  Bearing a scape. SCARIOUS  Having chaffy, membranous, brown or "wax‐papery" edges. SERRATE  "Sharp‐toothed"; like a saw edge. SESSILE  Without a stalk, "unstalked". SILIQUE  A long slender fruit of the Brassicaceae family which splits open along the edges leaving seed attached to a central partition. SINUATE  A pronouncedly waved leaf margin, "wavy". SORUS (PL. SORI)  A cluster of spore producing structures (sporangia) on the underside of a fern frond. SPATULATE  Broad and rounded at the tips; narrowing to the base, "spoon‐shaped". SPIKELET  A small spike; in grasses, the primary inflorescence composed of two glumes and one or more florets. SPOROPHORE  A leaf bearing reproductive structures; generally used in reference to the spore‐bearing leaves or ferns. STAMINATE  Describing a male flower that contains one or more stamens but no functional pistils. STELLATE  "Star‐shaped"; having many rays radiating out from a common center. STIPULE  An appendage that maybe present on each side of the base of a leaf or petiole at its insertion point on the stem. STOLONIFEROUS  Having a stolon: an elongate, creeping, above‐ground horizontal stem that roots at the nodes. STYLE  A generally elongated stalk connecting the ovary and the stigma through which the pollen tube grows. SUBGLOBOSE  Somewhat or slightly spherical. SUBTEND  To be positioned directly or closely beneath something. TOMENTUM  A covering composed of short, thickly matted, woolly hairs. TROPHOPHORE  A vegetative leaf or frond, one that does not have reproductive structures attached. TUBERCLE  A small, rounded swelling. TURION  A small, scaly bud‐like offset on an underground stem. VELUTINUS (VELUTINOUS)  Having a velvety texture. VERTICILLATE  Having whorls. VILLOUS  With long and soft, un‐matted, hairs, "long‐hairy". VISCOUS (VISCID)  Glutinous, greasy, or sticky. References E‐flora BC, 2011, E‐Flora BC Glossary of Botanical Terms. In: Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2010. E‐Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [15 June 2011] Botany.com, 2010, Plant & Flower Dictionary. In: Botany.com: Plant Encyclopedia to Identify Plants, Flowers, Trees & More. [http://www.botany.com/index.16.htm]. Demand Media. [15 June 2011] Charters, Michael, 2011, California Plant Names: Latin and Greek Meanings and Derivations [http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/botanicalterms.html]. [15 June 2011]