D. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT: Halimolobos virqata is 

 an early-blooming plant that may be more common than is currently 

 known. Populations are in partially disturbed habitat at two of 

 the five sites in the state, and adventive at one of the 

 Sweetgrass Hills sites. More investigation is needed to discern 

 cause from effect in finding small populations of this species in 

 disturbed sites. It is being kept at the state rank of 

 critically imperiled (SI) based on it limited number of sites and 

 small total numbers documented in the state. It is recommended 

 that the Bureau of Land Management continue to collect 

 information on it under "watch" status at least until the above 

 questions are resolved, and consider the prospects for studying 

 it at the Tendoy Mts. site where it occurs in degraded habitat. 



E. SUMMARY Halimolobos virqata is a species which presents an 

 intriguing picture with unusual distribution patterns in Montana 

 and low fidelity to suitable local habitats. Based strictly on 

 tally of known populations and their numbers, it may be 

 critically imperiled in the state, and will be ranked accordingly 

 until such time as new populations are found or dependency on 

 unnatural disturbance is demonstrated. 



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