WHITED'S HALIMOLOBOS Halimolobos whitedii Family Cruciferae - Mustard Family Division Anthophyta - Flowering Plants Risk Status Official status Whited's Halimolobos is on British Columbia's Red List (CDC=G3? S2). Risk Status Distinguishing Features Distribution Habitat Why is it endangered? Biology Sources for more information Museum Specimens Image Credits: Whited's Halimolobos sketch in Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Hitchcock et al., 1971.   Distinguishing features Whited's Halimolobos is considered a rare endemic in that it is restricted to a certain region and has a limited range. Whited's Halimolobos is a short-lived perennial, sometimes flowering in the first spring. It usually develops a branched caudex. Generally the several stems are simple to freely branched and 20-50 cm tall. Basal leaves are few to many but not especially clustered. Leaves are narrowly to broadly oblanceolate, with a slender foot stalk, and as much as 10 cm. long and 2 cm. broad. They are entire to few-toothed or even shallowly lyrate. Leaves growing on the upper portion of a stem, are gradually reduced upward. The petals of the flowers are white or strongly pinkish-veined and 4-7 mm long. Distribution Map Red dots indicate specimen records or confirmed breeding sites. British Columbia Restricted to the steppe area of the Okanagan Highlands in extreme southern British Columbia. It has been collected near Chopaka, Anarchist Mountain and Osoyoos. North America Outside of British Columbia, Whited's Halimolobos is found in the steppe area of northern Washington. Habitat Whited's Halimolobos prefers shrub-steppe and dry sagebrush slopes. Why is it endangered? This species along with others of the grasslands communities are endangered for a number of reasons. Livestock grazing, range re-seeding and off-road recreation have modified much of the remaining "undeveloped" grassland areas. In addition, cultivation, agricultural and urban development, prescribed burning, forest encroachment, road and trail development, alien plant and animal species introductions, and hydro-electric power projects have caused outright, irreversible losses of native grassland species in general. Because grasslands have been so influenced by human activities, a relatively large number of wildlife species associated with grasslands (including this plant species) are listed as threatened or endangered. Because of these combined influences and the relatively limited distribution of grasslands, "ancient" grasslands represent a much more endangered space in British Columbia than do "ancient" or old-growth forests. Sources for more information Related On-line Sites to Visit Publications The SOCAP Workshop Summary, The Nature Trust, 1989. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock, 1971, p. 509 Museum Specimens this section sponsored by: Industry Canada