the Jefferson County population is not known 

 although the species is stated to be locally 

 abundant at the site. Condition of the population 

 on the Helena National Forest is not known. 



3. REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY 



a. TYPE OF REPRODUCTION: Presumably reproduces 



sexually by seed. 



b. POLLINATION BIOLOGY: Insect pollinated, but 



exact species unknown. 



C. SEED DISPERSAL AND BIOLOGY: Unknown. 



d. PHYLOGENY AND SPECIATION: Joseph Ewan, the 

 last monographer of the genus Delphinium , 

 placed D. andersonii in the series Spiciform. 

 However he stated that further anatomical 

 data might place the species in the 

 Lignifasciculate series. The Spiciform 

 series is a primarily North American group 

 with little if any affinity to Eurasian 

 species (Ewan 1945) . 



In central Idaho Delphinium andersonii 

 hybridizes with D. qlaucescens where their 

 ranges overlap (Hitchcock and Cronquist 

 1964) . Delphinium qlaucescens (a synonym of 

 D. cflaucum according to Dorn, 1984) occurs in 

 southwest and south-central Montana (Dorn 

 1984) , but no reports of hybridization in 

 Montana are known. 



POPULATION ECOLOGY 



1. BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS 



a. COMPETITION: At three of the four Montana 



sites. Delphinium andersonii occurs on open 

 breaklands or talus slopes with moderate to 

 little vegetative cover. Hitchcock and 

 Cronquist (1964) note that the species is 

 found in deserts, woodlands, and open 

 forests. The above might imply that D. 

 andersonii does not compete well in shade or 

 in areas of dense vegetative cover. 



b. HERBIVORY: Various species of Delphinium have 



been reported as poisonous. Only cattle are 

 affected, and horses and sheep as has been 

 reported (Ewan 1945) . Some species are toxic 



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