GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



RANGE: Ranunculus rardiophvllus occurs from British Columbia and 

 the Northwest Territories to Alberta and Saskatchewan, southward 

 sporadically along the Rocky Mountains to northeastern 

 Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Arizona (Hxtchcock et al. 

 1964). It is common in grasslands of the Cypress Hills (Brietung 

 1954), a large isolated plateau to the northeast. 



CURRENT sites: In Montana, Ranunculus cardiophyllus is known 

 from seven sites in three counties: 



EG no 



001 



002 



003 



004 



005 



006 



Location 



Glacier Co., Browning 



Toole Co., Sweetgrass Hills above Fred and George Creek 

 Sweetgrass Co., east side of Crazy Mts. 

 Glacier Co., Duck Lake 

 Glacier Co., Duck Lake ponds 

 Glacier Co., Goose Lake vicinity 



Toole Co., Sweetgrass Hills; Spring Creek vicinity 

 N/A ■ 



007 



historical sites 



unverified/undocumented reports: None 



AREAS SURVEYED BUT SPECIES NOT LOCATED: Suitable Sweetgrass 

 Hills habitat was not found along Deer, McDonald or Limekiln 

 Creeks of West Butte in the segments surveyed. There appeared to 

 be suitable, somewhat degraded habitat along a few wetlands 

 associated with East Butte watercourses, e.g., the spring meadow 

 at the head of Government Creek, but no plants were found. 



HABITAT 



ASSOCIATED VEGETATION: All Montana habitats for Ranunculus 

 cardiophvllus are characterized as moist grasslands. Each of the 

 records which characterize associated vegetation (five of seven) 

 describe it as associated with the Potentilla fruticosa - Festuca 

 scabrella habitat type, at the wet end of its gradient. 



Associated invasive or exotic plants include: Poa pratensis , Poa 

 compressa, Phleum pratense and Sym phoricarpos occidentalis , all 

 of which are present among Sweetgrass Hills sites (Figure 9) . 



