Cliff paintbrush (Castilleja rupicola) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 13

Technical summary

Castilleja rupicola
cliff paintbrush

castilléjie des rochers

Range of Occurrence in Canada: British Columbia


Extent and area information

Extent of occurrence (EO) (km 2 )
[area enclosed within the limits of a polygon including all sites].
<1000 km 2
Specify trend in EO.
Unknown, probably stable
Are there extreme fluctuations in EO?
Unlikely
Area of occupancy (AO) (km 2 )
[actual area occupied by the small populations].
<1 km 2 (200-300 m 2 )
Specify trend in AO.
Unknown, probably stable
Are there extreme fluctuations in AO?
Unlikely
Number of known or inferred current locations.
12
Specify trend in #.
Unknown, probably stable
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of locations?
Unlikely
Specify trend in area, extent or quality of habitat.
Unknown, probably stable


Population information

Generation time (average age of parents in the population).
Unknown (possibly several years)
Number of mature individuals.
Unknown, probably in the 100s
Total population trend:
Unknown, probably stable based on the natural sub-alpine and alpine habitats in which plants occur
% decline over the last/next 10 years or 3 generations.
N/A
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of mature individuals?
Unknown
Is the total population severely fragmented?
Yes
Specify trend in number of populations.
Unknown, probably stable
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of populations?
Unknown but unlikely
List populations with number of mature individuals in each:
Silvertip Mtn: 2
Mt. Brice: 3
Marmot Mtn: 1;
the remainder either “few plants” or unknown


Threats (actual or imminent threats to populations or habitats)


Rescue effect (immigration from an outside source)

Status of the outside population(s)?
USA: Unknown (have not been adequately assessed in Washington [WA] and Oregon [OR])
Is immigration known or possible?
Unknown
Would immigrants be adapted to survive in Canada?
Yes
Is there sufficient habitat for immigrants in Canada?
Yes
Is rescue from outside populations likely?
Unlikely due to the localized means of seed dispersal


Quantitative analysis

[provide details on calculation, source(s) of data, models, etc]

N/A


Current status

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC): Threatened (May 2005)


Status and reasons for designation

Status: Threatened
Alpha-numeric code: Met criteria for Endangered, D1, but designated Threatened, D1+2, because it is distributed over several mountain ridges and thus is not at imminent risk of extirpation.


Reasons for Designation: A perennial of restricted geographical occurrence found on cliffs, rock outcrops and ridges at high elevations. The small, fragmented, populations consist of scattered individuals, likely fewer than 250 plants, which are exceptionally vulnerable to stochastic events.


Applicability of criteria

Criterion A (Declining Total Population): No information on declines.

Criterion B (Small Distribution, and Decline or Fluctuation): Not met.

Criterion C (Small Total Population Size and Decline): Not met due to lack of decline data.

Criterion D (Very Small Population or Restricted Distribution): Qualifies as Endangered, D1, based on a presumed population size of fewer than 250 plants but best considered as Threatened D1+2 because the plants are located on several mountaintops and are therefore at reduced risk from stochastic events and imminent extirpation.

Criterion E (Quantitative Analysis): None available.

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2018-01-02