Species of Aquilegia are well known for freely- 

 hybridizing. The population on Timber Butte included a 

 few individuals with yellow sepals and petal spurs (the 

 individuals of this type which were collected were also 

 somewhat shorter than the red flowered collections), 

 indicating possible hybridization with Aquilegia 

 flavescens , a common species in Montana. The purity of 

 the Kelmbeck canyon population is not known; only a few 

 shriveled flowers were found and these had bright red 

 sepals and petal spurs. No pure populations of A. 

 flavescens were seen in the Tendoys, but A. coerula was 

 found on the west side of the range. 



F. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS 



Aquilegia formosa is rare and peripheral in Montana, now known 

 from only 5 sites in southern Beaverhead County. Three of 

 these sites are on the Beaverhead National Forest, in the 

 Tendoys, and in the Beaverhead Range at Morrison Lake (Figure 

 2). Because of its rarity and its presence in habitats 

 potentially subject to logging, the species should be 

 designated Sensitive in Montana by Region 1 of the U. S. 

 Forest Service. 



Both population sites on the Beaverhead National Forest in the 

 Tendoys were logged in the past. The stumps are tall and are 

 confined to the draw bottoms and lower slopes, suggesting that 

 the logs were removed in the winter for local use, thus ground 

 disturbance would have been minimized. The resilience of 

 populations of Aquilegia formosa to intensive timber harvest 

 is not proven at these sites. The highest plant densities are 

 in heavily shaded depressions. Canopy removal and surface 

 disturbance would be likely to effect seedling establishment. 

 Logging and disturbance of the water channels in these draws 

 should be avoided. Other potential threats to this species 

 are trampling by cattle and collection by people for 

 domestication and cut flowers. 



Astragalus scaphoides (Jones) Rydb. 

 Bitterroot Milkvetch 



DESCRIPTION 



i. General description: Astragalus scaphoides is a member 

 of an extremely diverse genus in the Fabaceae (pea 

 family) . The plants are herbaceous perennials with 

 pinnately compound leaves borne on the flowering stems. 

 The inflorescence is a compact to somewhat elongate 

 raceme of many relatively large, zygomorphic flowers. 



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