Tiny Cryptanthe (Cryptantha minima)
Status:  Endangered

Description:
Tiny Cryptanthe is an annual species belonging to the Borage family (Boraginaceae). It is also known as Little Cat's Eye. The stem of the plant is branched from near the base and can reach 20 centimetres in height. The leaves and stem are bristly-hairy. The leaves are alternate, linear, with blunt tips and tapered bases, up to three centimetres long and 0.5 centimetres wide.

Tiny Cryptanthe's white flowers are tube-like with lobes at right angles at the top and a yellow "eye" in the centre. They measure up to three millimetres long and two millimetres across. The flowers can be present in up to two thirds of the plant's height. Each flower has a leaf-like bract below it on the stem. The bracts are smaller than the leaves on the stems, but may be longer than the sepals of the flowers beside them. The main veins on the sepals are whitish, thick and hard.

Tiny Cryptanthe's fruits are four nutlets with roughened sides. They are of two sizes. Typically, one of the four nutlets is larger (1.6 to 2 millimetres long by 1.2 millimetres wide) than the other three (1.2 to 1.5 millimetres long by 0.7 to 0.9 millimetres wide).

Similar species:
Fendler's Cryptanthe (Cryptantha fendleri) is a similar hairy annual of eroding sandy habitats. It generally has branches arising closer to the top of the stem, rather than near the base. Tiny Cryptanthe has bracts beneath all of its flowers, but Fendler's Cryptanthe has only the lowest flowers with bracts. It is not so densely hairy as Tiny Cryptanthe. The nutlets of Fendler's Cryptanthe are smooth sided. In the fall Fendler's Cryptanthe dries up erect and stays white, while Tiny Cryptanthe turns brown and falls apart.

Kelsey's Cat's-eye (Cryptantha kelseyana) is a species sometimes included with Fendler's Cryptanthe: it appears similar to Fendler's Cryptanthe in that it has bracts beneath only the lowest flowers. The nutlets are similar to those of Tiny Cryptanthe in that one is larger in size than the other three. Specimens collected in Saskatchewan and Alberta, identified as Kelsey's Cat's-eye provide our only knowledge about its range in Canada.

Status:
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed Tiny Cryptanthe as endangered in 1998. Listed as an endangered species in Saskatchewan, in The Wild Species at Risk Regulations, Tiny Cryptanthe is protected on private, provincial and federal lands under part V of The Wildlife Act.

This plant is found only in North America. Tiny Cryptanthe has spotty distribution in the Great Plains and most populations consist of only a few plants.

In Canada prior to 1996, the species was restricted to four sites along the South Saskatchewan River from just north of Medicine Hat, Alberta to just east of the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. In Alberta, Tiny Cryptanthe was found at only one site near the Town of Empress in 1996. It was not found in Saskatchewan in the 1996 survey and the other historic site has not been recently checked. Today, the Canadian population is estimated to be less than 100 plants and is continuing to decline due to loss of habitat.

As of 1999, Tiny Cryptanthe was present in Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma in the United States. The species is listed as rare to uncommon in Wyoming.

Habitat:
Tiny Cryptanthe is found in the Mixed Grassland Ecoregion within Alberta and Saskatchewan. In Alberta, Tiny Cryptanthe is found with a variety of weedy species on eroding areas and slopes. The Saskatchewan population is found on a dry, disturbed, sandy, south-facing slope in a more natural environment.

Life Cycle:
Tiny Cryptanthe is an annual that reproduces sexually by seed. In the Great Plains, the plant flowers in early summer (May to July). In Saskatchewan, it likely blooms between June and July. The seeds usually mature in July.

Limiting Factors:
Conversion of the Mixed Prairie Grassland Region into cultivated crops has destroyed habitat for Tiny Cryptanthe. More than two-thirds of the Mixed Prairie Grassland has been converted into agricultural land. Recently, one population at Westerham, Saskatchewan was considered lost due to the land being converted into agricultural crops. It is possible that some plants remain on or near the former railway bed.

Development of dams and other water diversions may also have affected populations of Tiny Cryptanthe. The dams along the South Saskatchewan River caused considerable land to be flooded. Although no known populations were destroyed by flooding, it is possible that some populations were lost. Since the species is found only on sites along the South Saskatchewan River, further flooding could entirely wipe-out the species within Canada.

Recovery Efforts:
There is currently no recovery plan for Tiny Cryptanthe. The plant has been protected since 1999 on private, provincial and federal land in Saskatchewan under part V of The Wildlife Act. The recommended recovery actions for this plant are identifying the remaining habitat to be secured and monitoring the population.

Important:
It is important to note that all endangered species including plants, are protected in The Wild Species at Risk Regulations, under part V of The Wildlife Act. Tiny Cryptanthe is protected on private, provincial and federal lands. It is unlawful to pick or collect endangered plants, or seeds of endangered plants, without a special permit.

In many cases the entire ecosystem is endangered and not just a specific species. These ecosystems are fragile and must remain undisturbed. The continued survival of all endangered species relies on protecting the habitats of the species at risk as well as the species themselves.

If you observe Tiny Cryptanthe growing in the wild, please contact the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Center online at www.biodiversity.sk.ca

Please contact your local library or visit the Internet sites below for more information on Tiny Cryptanthe.

Environment Canada. 2000. All species at risk (Map). [Online]

http://www.sis.ec.gc.ca/cgi.eas/endanew.exe
Date visited: 13/07/00

Environment Canada. 2000. Tiny cryptanthe. [Online]

http://www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/Species/English/SearchDetail.cfm?SpeciesID=553

Kartesz, J.T. and C.A. Meacham. 1999. Synthesis of the North American Flora. Version 1.0. In CD format. North Carolina Botanical Garden.

Smith, Bonnie. 1997. Status report on species at risk in Canada: Tiny Cryptanthe (Cryptantha minima). The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 18pp.

The Natural Heritage Network site will let you link to all the provinces and states.