Wild hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 2

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Executive Summary

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 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.

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)^Footnote1

A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

Not at Risk (NAR)^Footnote2

A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk.

Data Deficient (DD)^Footnote3

A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation.

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.