these four and an additional seven target species were found. 

 Thus, historical records do not necessarily provide a complete 

 picture of plant diversity, especially in poorly explored 

 areas. Floristic inventories can often be conducted at 

 reasonable expense through cooperative ventures with 

 universities and graduate students (e.g. Montana State 

 University or University of Wyoming) . 



Botanical surveys do not always increase the number of 

 rare plants known from an area, as demonstrated by this 

 project. Historical records of as many as four target species 

 on the Gallatin National Forest were found to be based on 

 misidentif ications or taxonomic discrepancies (see synopses 

 for Artemisia norvegica, Juncus covillei, Potentilla 

 diversifolia var. multisecta, and Salix cascadensis) . It 

 seems that these plants probably do not occur on the Forest. 

 However, while occurrences can be proven, absences are nearly 

 impossible to prove. In addition, taxonomic questions remain 

 concerning the last two of these taxa . The importance of 

 herbarium work in evaluating historical occurrences cannot be 

 overemphasized. Examining actual specimens can help reconcile 

 taxonomic and transcription errors, as well as give clues to 

 geographic locations and habitats. 



In addition to the nine species whose status is reviewed 

 in this study, there are six sensitive species, three watch 

 species, and 17 other Montana species of special concern 

 from Gallatin National Forest which this study did not 

 address. At least seven are known only by collections before 

 1950. One of these, Erigeron eatonii was recently searched 

 for but not found (Mathews 1989) ; it is not known otherwise in 

 Montana. Another, Penstemon whippleanus, was located last 

 summer in the Centennial Mountains (Culver 1993) , the second 

 time it has been seen in the state since its discovery in 1946 

 on the Gallatin National Forest, where it remains to be 

 relocated. Drosera anglica, a species confined to "pristine 

 bogs" (Lesica and Shelly 1991) , was collected on the Gallatin 

 National Forest in the Spanish Peaks area in 1943. Relocation 

 of this species should be given priority because riparian 

 areas on the Forest are often heavily impacted and bogs are an 

 unusual habitat type. The other four species on the Forest 

 which have not been documented since 1950 include: Allium 

 simillium, Carex neurophora, Epilobium suffruticosum, and 

 Thlaspi parviflorum, . They are all given an SI state rank and 

 are known from elsewhere in Montana, but their status on the 

 Gallatin National Forest needs to be resolved. None of these 

 species are on the Forest Service sensitive list and are thus 

 not considered in making land use decisions. Determination of 

 their status and conservation needs should be a priority for 

 future botanical research on the Gallatin National Forest. 



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