Plants
Barrens Willow
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| Salix jejuna |
Endangered (May 2001) |
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Barrens willow, also known as barren willow, insignificant
willow, and Belle Isle dwarf willow, is a dwarf, prostrate shrub
with small, rounded, hairless leaves with a waxy upper surface.
Barrens willow grows in a narrow band of limestone barrens
stretching along the coast northwest coast near the tip of the Great
Northern Peninsula. This plant has never been found anywhere else in
the world; it is one of a unique set of species adapted to the harsh
climate conditions and natural processes that characterize the
coastal limestone barrens of the Strait of Belle Isle. |
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Boreal Felt Lichen |
| Erioderma pedicellatum |
Vulnerable (May 2002) |
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Boreal felt lichen is an epiphytic lichen that grows on trunks
and branches of trees, mostly balsam fir. Its leafy thallus is gray
on the upper surface and white underneath, and its colour changes to
greenish when wet. The edges of the thallus curl upward, giving the
lichen a unique, white-fringed appearance when viewed from a
distance. Its distinctive fruiting bodies look like reddish-brown
warts on the upper surface.
Boreal felt lichen is the only boreal member of an otherwise
tropical group of lichens of very ancient origin. It is very rare in
Scandinavia and Nova Scotia, and has recently been discovered in
Alaska. It appears the species has been extirpated from New
Brunswick, and the number of sites has drastically declined Nova
Scotia. Newfoundland has over 90% of the known global population and
the health of the Newfoundland population is pivotal to the survival
of the species. This species grows in sub-oceanic forest regions of
insular Newfoundland and is concentrated in two areas, the central
Avalon Peninsula and Bay d’Espoir. It has been declining at all
monitored sites in both areas. In addition, boreal felt lichen is
sensitive to air pollution and can be an excellent indicator of air
quality. |
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Crowded Wormseed Mustard |
| Erysimum inconspicuum var. coarctatum |
Endangered (October 2006) |
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Crowded wormseed mustard is a yellow-flowered, biennial or
short-lived perennial herb in the mustard family. It has narrow
leaves and long, narrow seed pods. Mature plants can range in size
from 5 cm tall to 75 cm tall depending on soil moisture and nutrient
status. There is only one known population in Newfoundland and
Labrador, between the Bay of Islands and Gros Morne National Park on
the western coast of the Island of Newfoundland. There were about
100 mature (flowering) plants at this site in 1995. In August 2000
no plants were seen, but in 2009 approximately 20 plants were
counted. |
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Fernald’s braya |
| Braya fernaldii |
Threatened (May 2000) |
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Fernald’s braya is a small, perennial plant of the mustard family. It has a deep taproot; a rosette of fleshy, linear to spatulate leaves; and erect, flowering stalks, up to seven centimeters high. Its four-petaled flowers are white to pink. The fruit is an elongate, usually hairy, capsule. It is generally smaller than Long’s braya, with hairier fruits. Fernald’s braya is endemic to the northwest coast of the Great Northern Peninsula, and is restricted to the narrow band of limestone barrens found along the coast. This plant has never been found anywhere else in the world. It is one of a unique set of species adapted to the harsh climate conditions and natural processes that characterize the coastal limestone barrens of the Strait of Belle Isle. |
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Fernald’s Milk-Vetch |
| Astragalus robbinsii var. fernaldii |
Vulnerable (April 1997) |
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Fernald’s milk-vetch is a perennial, herbaceous plant that grows in small clumps. It is a member of the pea and bean family. Its alternate leaves are compound, with nine to 17 hairy leaflets. Flowering stalks borne along the stem bear 10-20 small flowers, which are purple to lilac in colour and fruit that is a hairy and on a short stalk. Fernald’s milk-vetch is known to occur only from the Strait of Belle Isle region of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Most of its known population occurs in the Blanc Sablon area of Québec and the adjacent area of southeastern Labrador. A recently rediscovered, disjunct population of milk-vetch from the highlands of St. John on the Northern Peninsula is now thought to be the closely related Robbins’ milk-vetch. Fernald’s milk-vetch grows in exposed, calcareous habitats with low heath vegetation. |
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Long’s Braya |
| Braya longii |
Endangered (May 2000) |
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Long’s braya is a small perennial plant that is a member of the mustard family. It has a deep taproot, a rosette of fleshy, linear leaves, and erect flowering stalks up to 10 cm high. Its four-petalled flowers are white with a tinge of violet. The fruit is an elongate, usually hairless, capsule. Long’s braya is endemic to the northwest coast of the Great Northern Peninsula, and is restricted to several small populations in a narrow band of limestone barrens found along the coast. This plant has never been found anywhere else in the world. It is one of a unique set of species adapted to the harsh climate conditions and natural processes that characterize the coastal limestone barrens of the Strait of Belle Isle. |
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Low Northern Rockcress |
| Neotorularia humilis (= Braya humilis) |
Endangered (October 2004)
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Low northern rockcress is a small, perennial herbaceous plant in
the mustard family. It grows to about 10 cm tall and has small white
flowers. Unlike the two braya species, to which it is closely
related, the flower stalks can be branched. The low northern
rockcress was discovered in Newfoundland in 1914 and is still only
known from one location on the west coast of the island, where it
lives on limestone barrens found on exposed mountain ridges. |
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Mackenzie’s Sweetvetch |
| Hedysarum boreale subsp. mackenzii |
Endangered (May 2010) |
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Mackenzie’s sweetvetch is a perennial plant of the pea family. It
irregular shaped, pea-like purple flowers are sweet scented and
occur in small clusters. In the province of Newfoundland and
Labrador Mackenzie’s sweetvetch is only found at two sites separated
by about 7 km on the west coast of the Port au Port Peninsula. It is
restricted to open limestone barrens. A total of approximately 300
to 1000 individuals is estimated to occur at the two sites. |
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Mountain Fern |
| Thelypteris quelpaertensis |
Vulnerable (October 2006) |
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The mountain fern can reach heights of 75 cm. It produces stolons
and forms large colonies by vegetative reproduction. It is found in
moist, open subalpine meadows, beside lake shores, brooks, and
springs. The only population in Canada east of the Rockies is found
in western Newfoundland, on the Long Range plateau within Gros Morne
National Park. |
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Northern Bog Aster |
| Symphyotrichum boreale |
Endangered (May 2010) |
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The northern bog aster is a member of the Aster family that can
reach heights of 80 cm and has white to pale bluish flowers arranged
in a short, broad cluster. The only known location for this species
in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is a fen at Wild Cove,
near Corner Brook. The population is estimated to be between several
hundred individuals. |
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Porsild’s Bryum |
| Mielichhoferia macrocarpa (=Bryum porsildii) |
Threatened (November 2003) |
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Porsild's bryum is a tiny moss occurring mostly in arctic or
alpine climates. The six known locations in our province are all
clustered near the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula and represent
just over half of the Canadian total. Populations are scattered
colonies on rock faces which can, at times be unstable. It is
possible for rock slides to destroy an entire population. |
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Rattlesnakeroot |
| Prenanthes racemosa |
Endangered (2010) |
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Rattlesnakeroot is a perennial plant with drooping pink,
purplish or white flowers. The stem secrets a milky juice. The only
known location for this species in the province of Newfoundland and
Labrador is a fen at Wild Cove, near Corner Brook. The total
population is estimated at several hundred to several thousand
individuals. |
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