Endangered
Description
Slender Bush-clover is a flowering plant belonging to the pea family that can grow up to 1.5 metres high. It has compound leaves composed of three leaflets that are narrow and elongated. This plant produces two types of flower: showy pinkish-purple pea-like flowers and tiny inconspicuous flowers without petals. The showy flowers are usually in crowded clusters on the upper part of the stem. The inconspicuous flowers are cleistogamous, meaning they can produce fertile seeds without having been pollinated by insects. The fruits are thin brown seedpods, roughly round in shape and four to seven millimetres long.
Action we are taking:
Range
In Ontario, Slender Bush-clover is found only in Essex County, the most southwesterly county in the province. A total of approximately 180 plants were counted at the two locations in 1997.
Habitat
In Ontario, Slender Bush-clover grows on dry, sandy soil in tallgrass prairies. This plant does not do well in the shade and can be harmed by other plants that compete for light and space. The open and sunny prairie habitat it prefers, depends on natural disturbances, such as fire and drought, which naturally remove many unwanted trees and shrubs.
Threats
One of the main threats to Slender Bush-clover is the establishment of trees and shrubs that shade-out these sun-loving plants through a process called “natural succession”. Invasive plants that compete for space are also a serious problem. Incidental destruction of plants from pedestrian and ATV traffic is another threat.
Protection
Slender Bush-clover receives protection under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act and the federal Species at Risk Act.
What You Can Do to Help the Slender Bush-clover
- The Ministry of Natural Resources tracks species at risk such as the Slender Bush-clover. 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. You may be eligible for stewardship programs that support the protection and recovery of species at risk and their habitats.
- Slender Bush-clover 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.
- Pollinators, such as bees, are in steep decline across the globe and they play a key role in the survival of many of Ontario’s rare plants. For information on how you can help scientists monitor pollinator populations in Ontario visit: www.seeds.ca/proj/poll.
- 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?
One of the most important nutrients that a plant needs is nitrogen. The roots of Slender Bush-clover contain special bacteria that can create nitrogen, which allows this plant to grow in soils that are too nitrogen-deficient for most other plants. Unfortunately, many invasive plants such as White Sweet-clover also have this adaptation, allowing them to compete with Ontario’s native plants.
Did you know?
Slender Bush-clover is eaten by a variety of insects and supports the larvae of several butterfly species.
Did you know?
Fire plays an important roll in maintaining the prairie habitat of Slender Bush-clover. Fire naturally removes trees, shrubs and many invasive plants that would otherwise shade-out 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.
