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BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary


Psilocarphus elatior
tall woolly-heads

 
Scientific Name: Psilocarphus elatior (Gray) Gray
English Name: tall woolly-heads
 
Classification / Taxonomy
Scientific Name - Concept Reference: Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Classification Level: Species
Species Group: Vascular Plant
Species Code: PSILELA
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Plantae Anthophyta Dicotyledoneae Asterales Asteraceae
   
Conservation Status / Legal Designation
Global Status: G4 (Dec 2001)
Provincial Status: S2 (Apr 2019)
BC List: Red
Provincial FRPA list:   
Provincial Wildlife Act:
COSEWIC Status: Endangered (May 2018)
SARA Schedule: 1  -  Endangered (Jun 2003)
General Status Canada: 1 - At Risk (2010)
   
Ecology & Life History
General Description:
Technical Description:
Subspecies Comments: No subspecies of Psilocarphus elatior are known to occur in B.C.
Identification Comments: Psilocarphus elatior is most easily identified when mature. It differs from other Psilocarphus spp. in the province by having an upright (as opposed to prostrate) habit and oblanceolate to linear-oblong leaves (Douglas et al. 1998b).
Similar Species: Young Psilocarphus elatior plants are frequently difficult to separate from young Gnaphalium palustre and G. uliginosum plants, with which they often grow. Gnaphalium plants differ in having alternate leaves and round, flat, densely woolly flower heads with broad ray (single petal) flowers (Douglas et al. 2001a).
Provincial Reproduction Comments: Psilocarphus elatior has an annual life cycle and is assumed to reproduce primarily by self-pollination. This assumption is based on the taxon's lack of pollinator-attracting structures, the proximity of the stigmas to the central pollen producing flowers, and the abundance of woolly hairs that appear to limit pollen dispersal by wind. Another possibility is that plants set seed through asexual reproduction (Cronquist 1950). Water, wind, and animals are the most likely agents of dispersal for P. elatior seeds. The use of vernal pools by various migrating avian species, particularly waterfowl and shorebirds, is well documented (Cronquist 1950; Silveira 1998).
Provincial Ecology Comments: At some sites, Psilocarphus elatior habitat is being invaded by shrub species, especially invasive species like Cytisus scoparius (Douglas et al. 2001a). This is likely to result in reductions or losses of P. elatior populations because the species requires open habitats.
Habitats:
(Type / Subtype / Dependence) 		Grassland/Shrub / Meadow / Facultative - frequent use
Other Unique Habitats / Garry Oak Vernal Pool / Facultative - frequent use
Global Habitat Comments: Dry pool beds.
Provincial Habitat Comments: Psilocarphus elatior is restricted to the moist maritime Coastal Douglas-fir (CDFmm) biogeoclimatic unit, which has a relatively dry climate compared to other coastal communities due to the rain shadow effect of the Vancouver Island mountain range (Green and Klinka 1994; Douglas et al. 2001a; Roemer and Fairbarns 2003). P. elatior is restricted to open, vernally wet habitats, including "vernal pools" (in the broad sense), seasonally flooded meadows, and disturbed sites. In the spring, these habitats can appear to be nearly bare patches of muddy ground or shallow water. Associated native herbaceous species include Juncus bufonius, J. kelloggii, Alopecurus carolinianus, Danthonia californica, Carex unilateralis, C. scoparia, C. feta, Camassia quamash, Gnaphalium palustre, Navarretia squarrosa, Polygonum sp., Plagiobothrys scouleri, Matricaria discoidea, Brodiaea coronaria, Madia glomerata, Castilleja ambigua, Callitriche marginata, and Heterocodon rariflorum. Non-native associated species include Alopecurus geniculatus, Poa annua, Agrostis stolonifera, Cynosurus echinatus, Lolium perenne, Bromus hordeaceus, Spergularia rubra, Mentha pulegium, Leontodon taraxacoides, Ranunculus repens, Gnaphalium uliginosum, Plantago major, Sonchus oleraceus, and Daucus carota. Adjacent habitats are often dominated by shrubs, including Cytisus scoparius, Rosa nutkana, Spiraea douglasii, and Symphoricarpos albus.
Provincial Phenology:
(1st half of month/
2nd half of month)
Provincial Phenology Comments: Psilocarphus elatior's growing season is from late May through August (M. Fairbarns, pers. comm.), but the exact phenology of the species' germination, vegetative, flowering, and fruiting stages is unknown.
Elevation (m) (min / max): Provincial:  0 / 100
Known Pests:
Pollen Vector:
Pollinator:
Dispersal:
   
 
Provincial Inventory
Inventory Priority:
Ownership of occurrences (Known locations): Mostly local government
Inventory Need: Monitoring of all sites with Psilocarphus elatior is recommended since large fluctuations in population size can occur from year to year, which makes it difficult to assess population trends based on numbers in a given year. Habitat mapping is needed to identify areas of good potential habitat that have not yet been surveyed. Inventories should be conducted by a qualified botanist at the appropriate time of year.
Inventory Comments: A national survey for Psilocarphus elatior was conducted for the last COSEWIC status report (Douglas et al. 2001a). Since the early 1980s, ongoing projects have also been documenting the distribution of rare plants in open meadows on southeast Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands (Fairbarns et al. 2003). In the last decade, field surveys have been conducted in approximately 1000 ha of potential rare plant habitat in over 80 sites. This involved at least 500 person-days of searching by expert botanists. The botanists searched for P. elatior, but occurrences of the species could have been missed because surveys of vernal pools was often completed before late June, which is when P. elatior plants start to become more obvious (M. Fairbarns, pers. comm. 2005).
 
Economic Attributes
Provincial Economic Comments: Psilocarphus elatior has no known economic attributes in B.C.
 
Distribution
Endemic: N
Global Range Comment: Known from British Columbia; Oregon (Willamette county), Washington, Idaho, and California.
Disjunct, more common elsewhere: N
Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: Y
 
Authors / Contributors
Global Information Author:
Last Updated:
Provincial Information Author: Barton, K.
Last Updated: Mar 24, 2005
Last Literature Search:
   
References and Related Literature
B.C. Ministry of Environment. Recovery Planning in BC. B.C. Minist. Environ. Victoria, BC.
Douglas, G.W. 1995. The Sunflower Family (Asteraceae) of British Columbia. Vol. 2. Astereae, Anthemideae, Eupatorieae and Inuleae. Royal B.C. Mus. Victoria. 393pp.
Douglas, G.W., and J.M. Illingworth. 2004. Conservation evaluation of the Pacific population of Tall Woolly-heads, Psilocarphus elatior, an endangered herb in Canada. Can. Field-Nat. 118(2): 169-173.
Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Penny. 2002. Rare Native Vascular Plants of British Columbia, 2nd ed. B.C. Conserv. Data Centre, Terrestrial Inf. Branch, Victoria. 358pp.
Douglas, G.W., G.D. Straley, and D. Meidinger, eds. 1998b. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Vol. 1, Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons (Aceraceae through Asteraceae). B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, Wildl. Branch, and B.C. Minist. For. Res. Program. 436pp.
Illingworth, J.M., and G.W. Douglas. 1995. Status Report on Tall Woolly-heads, Psilocarphus elatior in Canada. Unpubl. rep. submitted to the Comm. on the Status of Endangered Wildl. in Can. Ottawa. 19pp.
Roemer, H., and M. Fairbarns. 2003. Red and Blue Listed Plants of the Somenos Garry Oak Protected Area. Rep. prepared for the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team.
 

Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.

Suggested Citation:

B.C. Conservation Data Centre. Species Summary: Psilocarphus elatior. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 4, 2026).