C. HABITAT 



The species occurs at elevations from 6,000 to 7,600 ft. in 

 sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and mountain mahogany 

 {Cercocarpus ledifolius) communities. Bluebunch wheatgrass 

 {Agropyron spicatum) was subdominant in these habitats. The 

 soils were dry sands, silts, and clays formed in conglomerate, 

 shale, limestone, and alluvium. One population was on a 

 disturbed roadside cutbank, others were in relatively pristine 

 steep canyon slope habitats. 



D. POPULATION BIOLOGY 



Populations ranged in size from a single plant to estimated 

 thousands. Two large populations consisted of thousands of 

 plants covering over 40 acres each. Plants were in bud in 

 early June and were flowering in late July. 



E. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS 



S. viridiflora is fairly common in southern Beaverhead and 

 Madison counties and has a relatively broad range in the Great 

 Basin. Plants are often scattered, but populations are 

 frequently extensive in the canyon slope habitat. This 

 species probably occurs in most of the canyons in the Tendoy 

 Mountains and is abundant in the Big Sheep Creek area. The 

 steep slopes occupied by this species are not heavily impacted 

 by grazing and are not otherwise threatened. This species is 

 too common to be further considered for BLM sensitive species 

 designation but is appropriately placed in a state limited 

 distribution category. 



Tarajcacum eriophorum Rydb. 

 RocXy Mountain dandelion 



A. DESCRIPTION 



1. General description: This is a native dandelion in the 

 Asteraceae (sunflower family) . The plants are taprooted 

 perennials with a rosette of simple, mostly entire margined 

 leaves. The flowering stem is leafless and hollow, filled 

 with milky juice. The heads have numerous yellow ray flowers, 

 disk flowers are lacking. The achenes are beaked and reddish- 

 brown colored at maturity. See slide 17 in Appendix E. 



2. Technical species description (quoted from Harrington 

 1954) : 



Plants 3-10 cm tall, sometimes up to 30 cm; leaves 

 lanceolate to oblanceolate, mostly shallowly pinnate, 

 toothed or even entire, rather thickish, glabrous to 

 sparsely pilose; heads 1.5-2.5 cm high; outer involucre 

 bracts appressed or somewhat spreading, inner bracts 

 either not corniculate appendaged or rarely dilated 



