April 4, 1994 



MONTANA NATURAL HERITAGE PROGRAM 

 Element Occurrence Record 



Scientific Name: HALIMOLOBOS VIRGATA 

 Common Name: TWIGGY HALIMOLOBOS 



Global rank: G2G3 Forest Service status: 

 State rank: S2 Federal Status: 3C 



Element occurrence code: PDBRA1A04 0. 001 



Survey site name: SWEETGRASS HILLS EO rank: CD 



EO rank comments: POPULATION SEEMS TO BE AN ACCIDENTAL INTRODUCTION 



ALONG AN OLD ROADBED. 

 County: LIBERTY 

 USGS quadrangle: HAWLEY HILL, BINGHAM LAKE 



Township: Range: Section: TRS comments: 

 036N 005E 05 W2SE4; 7 NE4NE4 



Precision: S 



Survey date: 1993-05-29 Elevation: 4620 - 4830 



First observation: 1989-06-13 Slope/aspect: 2-15% / N-NW 



Last observation: 1993-05-29 Size (acres) : 



Location: 



SWEETGRASS HILLS, EAST BUTTE AREA, CA. 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF MOUNT 

 BROWN, BORDERS OF UNIMPROVED TWO-TRACK ROAD CA. 0.5-0.75 MILE SOUTH OF 

 GATE. 



Element occurrence data: 



1993: 50-100 PLANTS; BOTH FIRST AND SECOND YEAR PLANTS BELIEVED TO BE 

 IN FLOWER. IN FRUIT AND VERY LATE FLOWERING ON 29 MAY. WIDELY 

 SCATTERED IN SMALL GROUPS ALONG 0.2 5 MILE OF TWO-TRACK ROAD; A SMALL 

 NUMBER OF PLANTS HAVE BEEN GRAZED, AND RESPROUTED WITH MANY BRANCHES. 

 IN 1989: SPARSE POPULATION. 



General site description: 



ROADSIDE SETTING REPRESENTING DRY MICROHABITAT IN FOOTHILLS GRASSLAND 

 DOMINATED BY FESTUCA IDAHOENSIS, AGROPYRON DASYSTACHYUM, AND STIPA 

 COMATA ON THIN SOIL IN GLACIAL GRAVELS ON RIDGE CREST. ASSOCIATED 

 SPECIES: POTENTILIA FRUTICOSA, AGROPYRON SPICATUM, OXYTROPIS SERICEA, 

 CERASTIUM ARVENSE, GALIUM BOREALE, ARTEMISIA FRIGIDA. 



Land owner/manager: 



BLM: LEWISTOWN DISTRICT, GREAT FALLS RESOURCE AREA 



Comments: 



LONG HISTORY OF GRAZING AT MODERATE LEVELS AT SITE. AREA RECENTLY 

 ACQUIRED BY BLM. RECORD PROVIDES BASIS FOR QUESTIONING WHETHER SPECIES 

 IS ADVENTIVE IN ALL OR PARTS OF ITS MONTANA RANGE. BARE SOIL HABITAT 

 AWAY FROM THE ROADBED IS NOT OCCUPIED BY THIS SPECIES. 



'•information source: HEIDEL, B. L. 1993. [MTNHP SENSITIVE PLANT SURVEYS 

 IN THE SWEETGRASS HILLS CONDUCTED FOR THE BUREAU 

 OF LAND MANAGEMENT.] 



Specimens: DERFLER, E. C. (S.N.). 1939. GH. 



HEIDEL, B. L. (1001). 1993. MONTU. 



