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Adenocaulon bicolor (trail plant) 



Athyrium f ilix-f emina (lady fern) 



Botrychium virqinianum (rattlesnake fern) 



Chimaphila umbellata (pipsissewa) 



Clintonia unif lora (Queen's cup) 



Disporum trachycarpum (fairy bell) 



Gyinnocarpium dryopteris (oak fern) 



Listera convallarioides (broad-leaved twayblade) 



Lycopodium complanatum (ground cedar) 



Moneses unif lora (one-flowered wintergreen) 



Orchis rotundif olia (round-leaved orchis) 



Pyrola chlorantha (green-flowered wintergreen) 



Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon's seal) 



Tiarella trifoliata (false mitrewort) 



Mnium spp. (moss) 



TOPOGRAPHY: Botrychium minqanense in the Ninemile 

 Valley sites occurs in moist creek bottoms in 

 microsites that are close to stream channels, 

 especially in small, seasonally-flooded channels 

 and just below the high water mark. Topographic 

 preferences appear to differ at higher elevations 

 and in other geographic areas. However, there may 

 to be a common requirement for a moist microsite. 



SOIL RELATIONSHIPS: Soil reaction preferences are 

 not clear, with Lellinger (1985) mentioning "acid 

 to circumneutral soil" while Cody and Britton 

 (1989) cite "marly meadows" which are quite 

 alkaline. The plants in the Ninemile Valley sites 

 occurred mostly on organic matter, either needle 

 litter of Thuja plicata or well rotted logs. 



REGIONAL CLIMATE: The regional climate of western 

 Montana is characterized ^y warm summers and cold, 

 snowy winters. Precipitation in western Montana is 

 generally well distributed with peaks in December 

 and January, mostly as snow, and in May and June, 

 mostly as rain (U.S. Department of Commerce 1982). 



Relevant climatic data are available only for 

 the lower elevation occurrences in Ninemile Creek 

 valley and near Swan Lake. The climatic station 

 closest to the Ninemile Creek sites is at Superior 

 which is about 25 miles northwest and, at 2710' 

 (825 m) , about 400' (120 m) lower in altitude. The 

 climatic station closest to the Swan Lake sites is 

 at Big Fork which is about 5 miles to the 

 northwest and, at 3010' (920 m) , about 100' (30 m) 

 lower than the sites. For the period 1951-1980 

 (U.S. Department of Commerce 1982), the January 

 mean temperature at Superior was 25.4°F (-3.7°C) 



