Hairy Rockcress (Braya pilosa)

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The Hairy Rockcress (sometimes known as Pilose Braya) is an extremely rare endemic plant found nowhere else in the world other than two sites in the Northwest Territories. It has been ranked as G1 (Critically Imperiled) by NatureServe, and May be at Risk by the NWT General Status Ranks process. This species has not gone through either the COSEWIC or SARA listing processes.

Background

John Richardson, the naturalist with Sir John Franklin’s 2nd expedition in search of the Northwest Passage, first found the Hairy Rockcress in 1826. Its location on the Cape Bathurst Peninsula was only recently reconfirmed in 2004. It's strikingly different from other Braya species and is now known to be genetically distinct. This species is believed to be a glacial relic and is only known to occur on the Cape Bathurst Peninsula, which remained ice-free during the last ice age.

Typical Habitat

Several hundred individuals were observed growing on Cape Bathurst Peninsula along the coastline on sandy, calcareous soils in an area used by caribou.

NWT Locations

Cape Bathurst 1826-1848: 70 27N, 128 09W.
Cape Bathurst 2004: 70 29’ 48”N, 128 08’ 56”W.

Links

NatureServe Explorer - An Online Encyclopedia of Life
NWT Species Monitoring Infobase - Full Report 
The Rediscovery of a Lost Arctic Plant Species Slides - Dr. James G. Harris' Research
Utah Valley State College Herbarium

Map & Photos (by Jim Harris)