Like the Limestone Hills topographic setting, the Sheep Corral 

 Gulch and Meeteetse Spires settings are also localized bands. 



In contrast, the Pryor Mountains and Big Horn Canyon areas have 

 areas of extensive potential habitat in dissected terrain ranging 

 from 4000-8000 ft elevation where it occupies a range of 

 topographic positions and has extensive potential habitat. 



3. SOIL RELATIONSHIPS: Soils are highly calcareous, shallow and 

 coarse, classified as arid entisols. They do not appear to have 

 any structure or horizon differentiation, and little organic 

 matter accumulation. They have a well-drained cobbly or sandy 

 texture. 



4. REGIONAL CLIMATE: Local climate conditions at sword townsendia 

 sites are semi-arid, with low precipitation, hot summers and 

 relatively long growing seasons. 



Near the Limestone Hills in Townsend, annual precipitation is 

 only 11 inches (U.S.D.A. Forest Service 1992). Actual 

 precipitation levels in the Limestone Hills are reduced by the 

 rainshadow effect of the Elkhorn Mountains. Effective 

 precipitation for plants is further reduced by the low water 

 retention capacity and droughtiness of soils, as well as the 

 strong winds that increase evapotranspiration. 



In Townsend, the mean winter temperature is 19.7 oF summer 

 temperature is 66.8 oF (U.S. Department of Commerce 1982). 

 The earliness of the growing season is perhaps a more important 

 climatic factor than these season averages, because growth and 

 flowering is concentrated very early in the growing season. 



Near the Pryor Mountains to the north in Bridger, MT and to the 

 southeast in Lovell, WY, mean annual precipitation is 12.7 inches 

 and 7.1 inches, respectively (U.S. Department of Commerce 1982). 



F. POPULATION DEMOGRAPHY AND BIOLOGY 



1. PHENOLOGY: Montana collections made of Townsendia spathulata 



over the years have been made from 10 May to 2 6 June across the 

 range of elevations at which it grows. At any given site, there 

 is less than a one-month period of flowering and fruit 

 maturation, which is subject to shifts, depending on annual 

 climate. The Limestone Hills survey was conducted 17-19 May at 

 peak flowering in a somewhat early spring and unseasonably warm 

 weather . 



Flowering across the entire Limestone Hills population was 

 closely synchronized, and estimated to span two weeks. The seeds 

 mature and disperse within two weeks after flowering, these four 

 weeks representing the phenological window for efficiently 

 locating and identifying the species. 



