Endangered
Description
Skinner’s Agalinis is an annual flowering plant that grows five to 35 centimetres tall in its Canadian range. The stem is pale green and may have a few branches near the top. The leaves are more or less opposite, stemless and tiny, growing to 20 millimetres in length and only two millimetres wide at most. The plant produces white to very pale pink, tube-shaped flowers that divide into five broadly triangular lobes, the lower three occasionally marked with purple spots and yellow lines. Flowers bloom in late summer. The seedpods are round and contain many tiny brownish-yellow triangular seeds. Skinner’s Agalinis is partially parasitic on other plants, receiving some water and nutrients from a host plant, but able to produce some of its own energy from the sun.
Action we are taking:
Range
Skinner’s Agalinis is rare throughout its range in central North America which extends from extreme southwestern Ontario, west to Indiana, Minnesota and Kansas. In Canada, it is found only in southwestern Ontario – on two islands in the St. Clair River delta, at Lake St. Clair, and also in a small prairie near Windsor.
Habitat
Skinner’s Agalinis only grows in tallgrass prairie habitats in Ontario, an extremely rare ecosystem in the province. It probably has a range of host species, but the only confirmed connection is to the prairie grass, Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium).
Threats
The main threat to Skinner’s Agalinis is habitat destruction and alteration. It is also threatened by fire suppression and changes in water levels, and likely by competition from invasive plants such as White Sweet Clover (Melilotus alba), European Common Reed (Phragmites australis spp. australis), Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) and Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris).
Protection
Skinner’s Agalinis is protected under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act and the federal Species at Risk Act.
What You Can Do to Help Skinner’s Agalinis
- The Ministry of Natural Resources tracks species at risk such as Skinner’s Agalinis. You can use a handy online form to report your sightings to the Natural Heritage Information Centre. Photographs with specific locations or mapping coordinates are always helpful. nhic.mnr.gov.on.ca
- Report any illegal activity related to plants and wildlife to 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667).
- Private land owners have a very important role to play in species recovery. If you find a Skinner’s Agalinis on your property, you may be eligible for stewardship programs that support the protection and recovery of species at risk and their habitats.
- Skinner’s Agalinis and many other species at risk depend on healthy grassland prairies, a rare habitat in Ontario. Learn more about these habitats, the species that depend on them, and what you can do to help at www.tallgrassontario.org.
- Volunteer with your local nature club or provincial park to participate in surveys or stewardship work focused on species at risk.
- Invasive species seriously threaten many of Ontario’s species at risk. To learn what you can do to help reduce the threat of invasive species, visit: ontario.ca/invasivespecies ; www.invadingspecies.com ; www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca ; and, www.invasivespecies.gc.ca .
Did you know?
Skinner’s Agalinis is able to steal nutrients from other plants! It uses a fungus to attach its own roots to the roots of its host plant, and is then able to leech nutrients and water out of the plant.
Did you know?
Skinner’s Agalinis only grows in tallgrass prairie in Canada, which is one of the most endangered habitats in Ontario. This extremely rare community supports an amazing diversity of life, including over 500 species of plants.
Did you know?
Fire plays an important role in maintaining the prairie habitat of Skinner’s Agalinis by naturally removing trees, shrubs, and many invasive plants that can shade-out the sun-loving prairie plants.
Contact your local ministry office
Often the best source of local information on species at risk is your nearest ministry office. Call with your questions or concerns.
