Horsetail Spike-rush

Species information

This chapter provides a review of progress towards the protection and recovery of Horsetail Spike-rush in Ontario from 2007 to 2016.

Horsetail Spike-rush (Eleocharis equistoides) is an aquatic perennial sedge that occurs in shallow water four to 35 centimetres deep. The leaves are pale green, hollow and straw-like and grow in tufts from a horizontal underground stem (rhizome) to a height of 50 to 100 centimetres. The plant flowers in late spring and produces fruit from July to October. The fruit develop at the tips of the stems and are covered in light brown scales. Little is known about the species’ biology except that it reproduces from seed as well as from an underground rhizome, and is likely pollinated by wind.

In the United States, Horsetail Spike-rush occurs locally within the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains and southern Michigan. In Canada, Horsetail Spike-rush is found at a single site within the Long Point National Wildlife Area in southwestern Ontario, at a location along the shoreline of an inland pond (Environment Canada 2006).

The species faces several threats to its survival and recovery including impacts on habitat caused by the invasive species European Common Reed (Phragmites australis ssp. australis), herbivory, fluctuating water levels, loss of genetic diversity and climate change.

Horsetail Spike-rush is listed as endangered at both the provincial (Species at Risk in Ontario List) and federal levels (Schedule 1 under the Species at Risk Act). Globally, it is considered to be secure (NatureServe).

Provincial status

Prior to the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA or “the Act”), the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) assessed Horsetail Spike-rush as endangered, and it was regulated under the previous Endangered Species Act in 2001. Horsetail Spike-rush has retained its status as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, 2007. In future assessments, COSSARO may consider information gained through protection and recovery actions regarding the species’ threats and trends in population and distribution.

Species and habitat protection

Protecting Horsetail Spike-rush and its habitat are key components in the implementation of the ESA, and continue to be government-led actions, as identified in the government response statement. As a species that was regulated under the previous Endangered Species Act, Horsetail Spike-rush has received species and habitat protection since 2001. Horsetail Spike-rush retained these protections under the Endangered Species Act, 2007, which prohibits the species from being killed, harmed, harassed, captured or taken and its habitat from being damaged or destroyed. Habitat protection for the species is based on the general habitat definition in the Act. The ESA does not require a habitat regulation to be developed for transition^{footnote 1[1]}species such as Horsetail Spike-rush.

Recovery strategy

A recovery strategy for Horsetail Spike-rush was published on December 7, 2011, which was in advance of the date required by the ESA. Recovery strategies are advice to government and represent the best available scientific knowledge. The strategy identifies the habitat needs of Horsetail Spike-rush and the threats that it faces, while recommending objectives and approaches for protecting and recovering the species.

Government response statement

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (“the Ministry”) published the government response statement (GRS) for Horsetail Spike-rush on September 7, 2012, which was within the timeframe required by the ESA. The GRS is government policy that contains the Government of Ontario’s goal for the recovery of Horsetail Spike-rush.

Common actions for the government to lead as it works toward achieving a species’ recovery goal are provided in section 2.5 of the Species at Risk Program Status (2008-2015).

To help achieve this goal, the government leads the recovery actions identified in the GRS, which are:

• Co-operate with federal partners where appropriate to implement protection and recovery actions identified in the “Action Plan for the Horsetail Spike-rush” by Environment Canada;
• Encourage the submission of Horsetail Spike-rush data to the Ministry’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre; and
• Protect Horsetail Spike-rush and its habitat through the ESA.

Because Horsetail Spike-rush is known to occur only on federal lands within the Long Point National Wildlife Area, the federal government is leading recovery efforts for the species. The provincial Ministry will be engaged in the recovery process if the species is discovered beyond the borders of the federal lands (Environment Canada 2006). Specifically, as set out in the Action Plan for the Horsetail Spike-rush, MNRF will confirm new discoveries of Horsetail Spike-rush beyond the boundaries of the federal park lands, if reported.

Supporting our partners

Supporting partners through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program, as well as through permits and their associated conditions, is an important government-led action identified in the GRS for the species. To-date, no stewardship projects have been funded, and no permits or registrations have been issued for Horsetail Spike-rush as the species is known to occur only within the Long Point National Wildlife Area in southwestern Ontario, where the lands are protected by the federal government.

Occurrences of Horsetail Spike-rush in Ontario

Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC)

Horsetail Spike-rush is naturally very rare in Canada. Only one population^{footnote 2[2]} of the species has been documented in Ontario, within Long Point National Wildlife Area. The population is considered to be extant (i.e., observed within the last 20 years).

The number of stems of Horsetail Spike-rush within the Long Point National Wildlife Area varies with fluctuations in water levels. It is possible that this one occurrence is a single plant that reproduced from an underground rhizome (Environment Canada 2006). In 1999, an observation was reported at Turkey Point Provincial Park, but no photographs or specimens were collected to verify the observation. This potential occurrence was not confirmed; during subsequent investigations by experts, no plants were found at the observation site (Environment Canada 2006).

Since 2008, the Ministry’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) has received six records of the species. These records are based on observations between 1999 and 2011 and come from a variety of sources. The records indicate that the species is persisting at the known site in Long Point National Wildlife Area, where the federal government is currently implementing an action plan for the species that includes in-depth population monitoring. It is possible that there are observations of Horsetail Spike-rush that have not been submitted to the Ministry.

Encouraging the submission of observations of Horsetail Spike-rush to the Ministry is included in the GRS as a government-led action. Submission of species observations to the Ministry increases our knowledge of where they occur and can play an important role in assessing the viability of species populations.

Everyone is encouraged, or may be required by an authorization or approval, to submit observations of the Horsetail Spike-rush, and any other species at risk observed, to the Natural Heritage Information Centre for incorporation into the provincial record of observations.

Summary of progress towards meeting the recovery goal

Summary of progress

Progress has been made towards two of the three government-led actions outlined in the GRS for Horsetail Spike-rush. The Government of Ontario has directly undertaken actions to:

• Encourage submission of Horsetail Spike-rush data to the Natural Heritage Information Centre; and
• Protect the species and its habitat through the ESA.

Progress has been limited on the action to co-operate with federal partners to implement the “Action Plan for the Horsetail Spike-rush” by Environment Canada, because the single known Ontario population of this species occurs on federally-protected lands. The Ministry will be engaged directly in the recovery if the species is discovered outside of the Long Point National Wildlife Area (Environment Canada 2006).

The recovery goal for Horsetail Spike-rush is to ensure the long-term survival of a self-sustaining population within its current range in Ontario. Effort made toward two government-led GRS actions has helped make progress towards this goal.

Recommendations

As stated in the GRS, the review of progress towards protecting and recovering Horsetail Spike-rush can be used to help identify whether adjustments are needed to achieve the protection and recovery of the species. Based on progress to-date, the overall direction provided in the GRS for Horsetail Spike-rush should continue to guide protection and recovery actions for the species.

Moving forward, protecting and recovering Horsetail Spike-rush will continue to be a shared responsibility that will require the ongoing involvement of the federal government, as well as provincial and non-government organizations, if the plant is discovered at sites beyond the boundaries of the Long Point National Wildlife Area. By working together, progress can continue to be made towards protecting and recovering Horsetail Spike-rush in Ontario.

Summary of progress toward the protection and recovery of Horsetail Spike-rush (2007 to 2016)

Provincial status

Horsetail Spike-rush is classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). The species was also listed under the previous Endangered Species Act, and has retained the same status since transition to the ESA. Horsetail Spike-rush has received species and habitat protection since 2001.

Species-specific documents and guidance published by the government

• Recovery Strategy for Horsetail Spike-rush in Ontario (2011)
• Horsetail Spike-rush: Ontario Government Response Statement (2012)

Occurrences and distribution

Only one population of Horsetail Spike-rush has been documented in Ontario, within Long Point National Wildlife Area (LPNWA). The population is considered to be extant. Since 2008, the Ministry has received six records of the species, based on observations between 1999 and 2011, which indicate the species is persisting at the LPNWA site.

Related information

• Categorizing and Protecting Habitat under the Endangered Species Act
• Natural Heritage Information Centre
• Ontario’s Endangered Species Act
• Ontario’s Endangered Species Act Regulation 242/08
• Ontario Recovery Strategy and Government Response Statement for Horsetail Spike-rush
• Policy Guidance on Harm and Harass under the Endangered Species Act
• Species at Risk in Ontario List
• Species at Risk Stewardship Program

References

Environment Canada. 2006. Recovery Strategy for the Horsetail Spike-rush (Eleocharis equisetoides) in Canada. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series. Environment Canada, Ottawa. v + 17 pp.