Kellogg’s rush (Juncus kelloggii) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 2

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Executive Summary

Species Information

Juncus kelloggii Engelm. is a small annual herb of the rush family (Juncaceae) that grows 0.40-4 cm tall from a short fibrous root.

Distribution

Juncus kelloggii occurs in North America from British Columbia and Washington along the Columbia River in Klickitat County, into Oregon from Columbia and Hood River counties through to the Willamette Valley and southwest Oregon. It also occurs throughout most of California west of the Sierra Nevada and as far south as San Diego County.

In British Columbia J. kelloggii is restricted to southeastern Vancouver Island where it is known from only one locality in Victoria in Uplands Park. The nearest population is in Washington State, 330 km from the Vancouver Island population.

Habitat

Generally, Juncus kelloggii is found in seasonally wet depressions and vernal pools throughout the range. It is often found in low spots in fields and meadows.

Biology

Juncus kelloggii is an annual species that requires sites that are moist to wet in the winter and spring and dry during summer. In other parts of the range, this species occurs on sandy to clayey soils. The wet period is necessary for germination and growth, possibly as annual flooding followed by desiccation reduces competition by other plants.

Population Sizes and Trends

There is one extant population of J. kelloggii in Canada in the Victoria area. This species has not been monitored for population trends; however, the population has apparently remained stable at several hundred plants between the 1985 and 2001.

Limiting Factors and Threats

Any activity that alters the hydrological regime of the site can be a potential threat to this species. Since this population is in a municipal park that is heavily used by walkers and bicycle enthusiasts, trampling may be a problem.

Special Significance of the Species

The British Columbia population of Juncus kelloggii is a disjunct population. The nearest population was in southern Washington, but the species is also reported in southwest Oregon and California. Therefore, it is potentially a genetically significant population since it is the northernmost location of this species.

There is no special interest in this particular species, although it is a component of vernal pool communities that are fragile and subject to alteration. There are no known uses for this species by Aboriginal peoples, in part, perhaps due to its small size and rarity.

Existing Protection or Other Status Designations

• Global Rank: G3
• Canada Heritage Rank: N1
• British Columbia rank: S1
• California: SR
• Oregon: SU
• Washington: S1

There is no existing legislative protection for this species in Canada.

Summary of Status Report

Juncus kelloggii is restricted to southeastern Vancouver Island and is known from only one locality in a municipal park, Uplands Park, in Victoria, British Columbia. Kellogg’s rush is uncommon in southwest Oregon and California. The population at Uplands Park contains up to several hundred individuals, and has remained stable for the past ten years. The species is found in seasonally wet depressions and vernal pools through its range. It is an annual species that requires sites that are moist to wet in the winter and spring, but that dry up during the summer. These vernal pool communities are fragile and subject to alteration. This is a small, often overlooked species that may be confused with a similar annual rush (J. bufonius).

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)^Footnotea

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

Not at Risk (NAR)^Footnoteb

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

Data Deficient (DD)^Footnotec

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.