41 



Welsh et ai. 1987) . Cirsium subniveum is 

 distinguished from other species in the genus 

 Cirsium found in Montana by a number of 

 characters: the presence of long involucral 

 bracts; leaves that are much reduced upward; 

 decurrent wings of lower leaves that are usually 

 longer than those of the uppermost leaves; and 

 involucral bracts that are pubescent with cobwebby 

 hairs that tend to connect apparently alternate 

 bracts, and cross over the bract between (Dorn 

 1984) . 



D. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



1. RANGE: Cirsium subniveum is known from central 

 Idaho to Jackson Hole Wyoming, Montana (Beaverhead 

 County) , Utah (Box Elder, Cache, Rich and Sanpete 

 counties) , and northeast Oregon (Hitchcock et al . 

 1955-1969, Welsh et al. 1987). 



2. CURRENT SITES: In Montana, C. subniveum 

 populations occur in the Ruby Range in western 

 portion of the Madison County (Laurin Canyon 

 (001) ) , and in Beaverhead County, along the flanks 

 of the Gravelly Range (Elk Lake (002)), and the 

 southern flanks of the Pioneer Mountains near 

 Argenta (French Creek (003)). A 1990 collection 

 from the French Creek site ( Schassberqer (405) ) 

 was sent to Dr. A. Cronquist and identified as C. 

 subniveum . Subsequently, a specimen from nearby 

 originally identified as Cirsium neomexicanum var. 

 utahense ( Scow and Darfler (s.n.) (MONTU) ) , was 

 annotated by Dr. Stanley Welsh as C. subniveum . 



The locations of three currently known sites for 

 C. subniveum in Montana are shown on a map. Figure 

 3, p. 42. The legal descriptions, latitudes and 

 longitudes, elevations, USGS topographic map 

 names, and locations of the occurrences in Montana 

 are found in the Element Occurrence records, pp. 

 47-50. Exact locations are shown on U.S.G.S. 

 topographic maps pp. 51-53. 



3. HISTORICAL SITES: None known. 



4. UNVERIFIED/UNDOCUMENTED REPORTS: None. 



E. HABITAT 



1. ASSOCIATED VEGETATION: In Montana, C. subniveum 

 populations occur in a Pseudotsuga 

 menziesii/Festuca idahoensis habitat type as 



