Montana species of special concern were found in the study area, 

 but some areas remain unsurveyed. 



A total of 145 taxa of vascular plants were identified in 

 the study area (Appendix B). Twenty eight of these, nearly 20% 

 of the total (a very high percentage), were introduced to this 

 continent. Many of these are potentially serious weeds; of 

 special note is spotted knapweed ( Centaurea maculosa ) which has 

 become a major threat to native plants and plant communities as 

 well as to agriculture in much of western Montana. Other exotic 

 species, such as rhubarb ( Rheum Rhabarbarum ) and oriental poppy 

 ( Papaver orientale) , are garden introductions which pose no 

 threat of becoming invasive in native habitats. There is one 

 native wetland plant found along Taylor Creek, and likely to 

 occur in wet areas in Bannack State Park, which may pose some 

 danger to park visitors. This is water hemlock (Cicuta 

 maculata), which is deadly poisonous; a photocopy of a specimen 

 of the plant is given in Appendix C. 



The remainder of this section is devoted to summaries of 

 information on the three Montana species of special concern which 

 were found in the study area. Information is also given on 

 Astragalus scaphoides ; although this species was not found during 

 this project, it is known from private land just outside park 

 boundaries. Park activities could potentially impact this 

 population or other nearby populations, and the species could 

 possibly occur in the park in habitat which has not been 

 surveyed. Subheadings of the summaries include description, 

 present legal or other formal status, geographic distribution, 

 habitat, and population demography and biology. Management 

 considerations for the species are treated in the discussion 

 section which follows these summaries. Element Occurrence 

 Records which give additional details on the populations, and 

 maps showing the precise locations and boundaries of the 

 populations are included in Appendix D. 



