Hairy Braya | NWT Species at Risk

Hairy Braya

Braya pilosa

NWT List of Species at Risk:

Threatened

NWT SARC Assessment:

Threatened

Federal Species at Risk Act list:

Endangered

COSEWIC Assessment:

Endangered

NWT General Status Rank:

At Risk

Description:

Hairy Braya belongs to the mustard family. The stems grow from a tuft of leaves at the base of the plant and have white flowers arranged in dense clusters. Hairy Braya is distinguished from other closely related species by its large flowers and the shape of its fruits (nearly round with very long "styles" (elongated reproductive structures)).

Height: 4.5 to 12.0 cm (1.8 to 4.7 in)

Report Hairy Braya sightings to WILDLIFEOBS@gov.nt.ca

Distribution

Hairy Braya (sometimes known as Pilose Braya) is a rare flowering plant found nowhere else in the world except on the Cape Bathurst Peninsula and Baillie Island, NWT. Its total range is very small (about 250 km2). Hairy Braya is found on Inuvialuit private lands.

Range map information

Habitat and biology

Hairy Braya is restricted to an area that remained ice-free during the last ice age. It has apparently been unable to expand its range into surrounding areas since the ice receded. Places like Cape Bathurst that remained glacier-free during the last ice age tend to be “biodiversity hotspots” with high species diversity and species that are rare or unique, like Hairy Braya.

Hairy Braya occurs on bluffs and dry uplands along coastlines, inlets and streams. It needs bare soil to become established. Periods of standing water, erosion, and disturbance from caribou hooves appear to be involved in creating or maintaining these bare soil habitats.

Hairy Braya was first found by Sir John Richardson in 1826 during an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. At that original site, the shoreline eroded by about 85 m between 2011 and 2015.

Population size and trends

Along the coast, Hairy Braya numbers are declining because of rapid coastal erosion and salt spray. Fortunately, most Hairy Braya plants are found in more stable habitats inland or along protected inlets.

Threats

Potential threats in the Northwest Territories include rapid erosion of habitat along the coast (erosion rate estimated at 9.5 m per year), mortality along the coast from salt spray, and potential for storm surges to flood low-lying habitat. Threats are expected to increase as water levels rise due to melting sea ice and climate change.

Due to the remoteness of Cape Bathurst, Hairy Braya faces little direct threat from human activities.

Protection and recovery

In 2012, the NWT Species at Risk Committee assessed Hairy Braya as Threatened in the NWT because of its small range, shrinking habitat and declining population. In 2014, Hairy Braya was listed as Threatened in the NWT under the territorial Species at Risk (NWT) Act. An NWT recovery strategy for hairy braya is available here.

In 2013, COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) assessed Hairy Braya as Endangered in Canada. Hairy Braya was listed as Endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act in 2018.

A national recovery strategy is available on the federal Species at Risk Public Registry and includes critical habitat identification.

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