terraces below the hard limestone ridges. These soils are 

 generally deeper than the soils where the plants were found in 

 the Tendoy Mountains in Beaverhead County (Vanderhorst and 

 Lesica 1994) . Dominant vegetation at the site is sagebrush 

 steppe (Artemisia tridentata/Elymus spicatus) . Other common 

 associates include Rhus trilobata, Cercocarpus ledifolius, 

 Stipa comata, and Opuntia polyacantha. A photographic slide 

 of the habitat is included in Appendix 6. 



The population was estimated to consist of about 200 

 individuals, about 60% with flowering stalks and about 40% 

 vegetative. The plants were smaller and less vigorous than 

 other populations in the vicinity beyond BLM lands. 



DISCUSSION 



On grazed private land adjacent to the study area (map in 

 Appendix 4) , it straddled a fenceline and was more dense on 

 the more-heavily grazed side. Additional roadside populations 

 were located along the Jefferson River at Lewis and Clark 

 State Park and further towards Three Forks along highway 287 

 in the general vicinity of Booth's "£>. andersonii" collection. 

 The State Park site is overgrown with weeds and hosts a 

 sparse, scattered population, but at other sites along the 

 river the plants are thriving. Although the taxon had not 

 been documented in Jefferson County since 1964, it still seems 

 lpcally common. 



The population of the undescribed Delphinium subspecies 

 does not appear to be threatened at this time, nor is the 

 taxon threatened within the state. Grazing does not seem to 

 adversely affect it and may even favor it. Some species of 

 Delphinium are poisonous to cattle, although the larger 

 species, which grow later in the season are best known in this 

 regard. This taxon was seen and surveyed at numerous 

 southwestern Montana locations during 1993 field surveys of 

 other BLM lands (Vanderhorst 1994, Vanderhorst and Lesica 

 1994) . Considering these facts, BLM sensitive status is not 

 recommended for this taxon. 



The list of plant species provided for Doherty Mountain 

 should be viewed as preliminary. It is based on a short 

 sampling period in the early part of the season when many taxa 

 could not yet be identified. In addition, some of the BLM 

 lands on the mountain were not surveyed, and are likely to 

 host additional species. The unsurveyed areas are mostly on 

 the lower slopes on the northwest side of the mountain. These 

 areas may be more heavily grazed due to their proximity to 

 adjacent ranches. The plant communities surveyed on Doherty 

 Mountain were not heavily impacted by current land uses. 



