If noxious weeds encroach upon its major populations, then this species should return to the list of State 

 Species of Special Concern. Spotted knapweed has invaded below the large Camp Creek population 

 along the public road. Newly-arrived invasions of leafy spurge and knapweed are also at the south end 

 of the Big Hole Study Area. Off road vehicle use is localized and mainly outside of broad-keeled 

 milkvetch population boundaries, though it may accelerate the spread of noxious weeds (Appendix D-3). 



As a Montana watch species of limited distribution, it would be appropriate to continue collecting new 

 distribution information and to note any status changes. 



Kochia americana S. Wats. 



RED SAGE 



Goosefoot Family (Chenopodiaceae) 



CONSERVATION STATUS 



U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser\'ice: None. 



Bureau of Land Management: None. Species not previously known from BLM lands. No 

 status recommendations are made at this time. 



Montana Natural Heritage Program rank: G5 SH (state historical) was the original rank; 

 reranked to SU (state unkno\\Ti) as a result of the questions raised in this study. 



DESCRIPTION: Red sage is a multi-stemmed perennial, ca. 10-50 cm tall, with stems that are woody 

 at the base, usually simple or branched, bearing succulent subterete leaves 5-25 mm long. It has an 

 inconspicuous five-lobed radially symmetrical flower that is sessile in groups of 2-5 in leaf axils along 

 the length of the stems. Flowers are usually perfect, with five stamens and 2-3 stigmas; imperfect 

 flowers lack stamens. The mature perianth is eventually keeled, with a membranous wing up to 3 mm 

 long and 5 mm broad (after Hitchcock et al. 1980; Figure 10; Appendix D-IO). The whole plant usually 

 turns a red color after fruiting, hence its common name. 



Red sage is recognizable in its vegetative condition throughout the growing season, but definitive 

 identification cannot be made without flowering or fruiting material. In the vegetative condition, the 

 plant resembles a seablite, Suaeda moquinii (S. intermedia), though Suaeda moquinii has not been 

 documented from southwestern Montana to date. The seablite by contrast has a mature perianth which 

 is beaked, without keels or wings. Red sage flowers and fruits late in the growing season, and was just 

 beginning to flower on 17 August under the slightly cool, late growing season conditions of 1995. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



Global distribution: Southeastern Oregon to California, east through southern Idaho to extreme 

 southern Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico (Hitchcock et al. 1980). 



