Ecology /  Ecosystem /  Content Index Lousewort Lousewort It has a very peculiar name - and some very fussy habits. The tall (75 centimetre), spiky perennial herb with tubular yellow flowers, known as Furbish's Lousewort, a member of the snapdragon family, is found nowhere else in the world but the Saint John River valley. It grows only on the river's upper stretch, in the area of Perth-Andover, New Brunswick and Aroostock County, Maine, and it demands highly specialized habitat conditions, preferring north or west-facing areas at the foot of sloping, shaded riverbanks. It is not surprising, given its ecological eccentricities, that Furbish's Lousewort is classified as an endangered species in both Canada and the United States. It is considered to be "narrowly endemic" to the Saint John River, because it is restricted to a small geographic region. Naturalist's Nickname - When the species was discovered in 1880 by Maine naturalist and botanical artist Kate Furbish, Harvard University botanist Sereno Watson named it in her honour. Although he called it "Miss Furbish's Wood Betony," the plant became commonly known by the less noble name of Furbish's Lousewort, reflecting its affiliation with at least 500 other species of lousewort around the world. A few sporadic collections of the species were made during the following decades, but a 1975 American report on its status described it as "probably extinct." Researchers conducting an environmental impact study in the area in 1976 were surprised to "rediscover" the unusual plant. Recent estimates of the New Brunswick population of Furbish's Lousewort have placed the number of plants at less than 1,000, occurring within 3 sites between the international boundary above Grand Falls and the mouth of the Aroostook River. Population densities are higher in Maine, with several thousand plants in the area between Big Black River and Fort Kent. Please Disturb! - When it comes to habitat, Furbish's Lousewort is high-strung and discerning, demanding growing conditions that only a few sections of river valley can provide: • It grows only in areas that are subject to natural disturbance by flooding, ice-scouring, and "slumping" of earth, trees and brush. The plant relies on disturbance to eliminate competing vegetation and create new areas for colonization. Its deep roots keep it anchored to the bank, allowing it to survive when other vegetation is torn away. • It prefers relatively steep, moist, north or northwest-facing slopes that are shaded for most of the day by a continuous canopy of trees (Eastern Spruce/Fir or Aspen/Birch) higher up the riverbank. • It is pollinated by only 1 species of bumblebee, Bombus vegans. • It requires well-drained, sandy loam soils with high calcium, low nitrogen, and a pH ranging from 5.2 - 7.8. Conservation Connections: Riverside development, forestry, littering and recreational use of the riverbank are all threats to the survival of the fragile Furbish's Lousewort. In 1990, the Nature Conservancy of Canada acquired a lousewort site near Andover and deeded it to the Nature Trust of New Brunswick. In 2002, the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy established a team of biologists, stakeholders and government representatives to develop a recovery strategy for the species. 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