(17) Artemisia nova / Festuca idahoensis h.t. 



Soils derived from limestone in the foothills on the east 

 side of the Line Creek Plateau support shrublands dominated by 

 Artemisia nova and A^. tridentata . Common grasses included 

 Festuca idahoensis , Aqropyron spicatum and Stipa comata . Common 

 forbs were Phlox hoodii , Astragalus adsurgens and Artemisia 

 f rigida . This community generally occurs on sites with more 

 exposure and/or shallower soils than the Artemisia 

 tridentata / Festuca idahoensis h.t. However, the two types 

 intermingle with Pinus f lexilis woodland throughout much of the 

 area. Note: It lies southeast of tentative RNA boundaries. 



(18) Hesperocloa kingii c.t. 



Steep high-subalpine slopes with poorly developed soils 

 support communities dominated by Hesperocloa kingii , Poa secunda, 

 Agropyron spicatum and forbs such as Eriogonum umbel latum . Aster 

 sibiricus , Cirsium tweedyi and Trif olium haydenii . These 

 associations have not been described for Montana. They seem to 

 occur on recently stabilized talus and could be considered a very 

 early serai stage of the Abies lasiocarpa / Vaccinium scoparium 

 habitat type. Festuca idahoensis probably occurs in at least 

 some stands; however, only one stand of this minor type was 

 sampled. 



Plant Species of Concern 



Sixteen species of vascular plants listed as species of 

 special concern by the Montana Natural Heritage Program are known 

 to occur on the Line Creek Plateau. Five species, Agoseris 

 lackschewitzii , Kobresia macrocarpa , Salix barrattiana , 

 Selaginella watsonii and Thlaspi parvif lorum , are listed as 

 sensitive by Region One of the U.S. Forest Service. These five 

 species as well as Castilleja longispica , Draba porsildii , 

 Senecio amplectens and Stellaria crassifolia are considered 

 sensitive in Montana (Lesica and Shelly 1991) . In addition to 

 these eight species, Eriophorum callitrix was discovered for the 

 first time in Montana on the Line Creek Plateau in 1991, and 

 Haplopappus carthamoides var. subsquarrosus . previously known 

 only from Park Co. , Wyoming, was discovered in the east foothills 

 of the Beartooth Range in Montana in 1993. Seven other species, 

 Erigeron f label lifolius , Gent iana prostrata , Gentianella tenella , 

 Juncus triglumis var. triglumis , Koenigia islandica , Phippsia 

 algida and Senecio fuscatus, have a limited distribution in 

 Montana (Lesica and Shelly 1991) . These species are common or 

 locally common in the Beartooth Mountains but are rare or absent 

 in the rest of the state. They are arctic species disjunct in 

 the Beartooth Mountains. Erigeron f labellif olius and Haplopappus 

 carthamoides var. subsguarrosus are endemic to the mountains of 

 south-central Montana and adjacent Wyoming. The latter species 

 is a candidate for listing as a threatened or endangered species 



