Biology:Braya pilosa

From HandWiki
Short description: Species of flowering plant

Braya pilosa
Braya pilosa 01.jpg

Imperiled (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Braya
Species:
B. pilosa
Binomial name
Braya pilosa
Hook.
Braya pilosa

Braya pilosa is a long-lived perennial flowering plant of the mustard family known by the common name hairy braya.[2][3] It was first found by Sir John Richardson in 1826 during an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage.[4] It wasn't found for 154 years, between 1850 and 2004.[5]

Description

It has one to many stems 4–12 cm long, erect to ascending to almost prostrate and moderately to densely hairy, and can be distinguished from other Braya species by its large flowers and globose fruits with very long styles.[3] The plant arises from a tuft of basal leaves, with white flowers arranged in dense clusters.[2] It has one or more stems from a branched root crown. The ascending or erect stems are between 4 and 12 centimeters long. It is either leafless or with a single leaf subtending into the lowermost flower or fruit. The basal leaves 0.7 to 2 centimeters long and 0.7 to 2.5 millimeters in width and very hairy. The flowers are in dense clusters of five and have white petals. The fruit is spherical, 5 to 6 millimeters long by 3 to 4 millimeters wide.[5]

Distribution and Conservation

It occurs on bluffs and dry uplands composed of sandy and clay loam. Its range is limited to the unglaciated portions of Cape Bathurst and Baillie Islands on the shore of the Beaufort Sea in the Northwest Territories, and it is listed at G2 - imperiled by NatureServe[1] and endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).[6] Its chief threats are loss of habitat through rapid coastal erosion and saline wash from storm surges, and by melting permafrost.[7] There is between 15,000 and 20,000 plants in the 13 known occurrences of Hairy Braya, with approximately 80% of these being mature.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Braya pilosa - Hook. Hairy Braya". NatureServe. http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=140326&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=140326&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=140326. Retrieved 16 June 2016. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Species Status Report: Hairy Braya (Braya pilosa)". Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Northwest Territories. http://www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/Hairy_Braya_NWT_status_report_Dec_2012.pdf. Retrieved 16 June 2016. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Harris, James G.. "COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Hairy Braya Braya pilosa in Canada". Government of Canada. http://www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_hairy_braya_poilu_1213_e.pdf. Retrieved 16 June 2016. 
  4. "Hairy Braya | NWT Species at Risk". https://www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca/species/hairy-braya. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Hairy Braya,Braya pilosa". 2013. https://wildlife-species.canada.ca/species-risk-registry/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_hairy_braya_poilu_1213_e.pdf. 
  6. "Species Profile: Hairy Braya". Government of Canada. http://www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=1235. Retrieved 11 June 2016. 
  7. "Braya, Hairy | Braya pilosa". COSEWIC. http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/eng/sct1/searchdetail_e.cfm?id=1235&StartRow=11&boxStatus=3&boxTaxonomic=12&location=All&change=All&board=All&commonName=&scienceName=&returnFlag=0&Page=2. Retrieved 16 June 2016. 

Further reading

  • Harris, James G. (October–December 2004). "Pilose Braya, Braya pilosa Hooker (Cruciferae, Brassicaceae), an enigmatic endemic of arctic Canada". The Canadian Field-Naturalist 188 (4): 550–7. doi:10.22621/cfn.v118i4.57. 

Wikidata ☰ Q15537662 entry