2. STATE: The Montana Natural Heritage Program (Achuff 

 1991) lists Lesquerella klausii as G3S3, that is 

 threatened throughout its range both globally and 

 in Montana. Lesica and Shelly (1991a) place the 

 species in their Watch List category which 

 indicates that the species is too common to be 

 listed as Sensitive, but more information is 

 needed for certainty. Neither of these state 

 categories holds any legal protection for the 

 species. 



DESCRIPTION 



1. GENERAL NONTECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Lesquerella 



klausii is a short-lived, taprooted perennial herb 

 densely covered with microscopic star-like hairs. 

 The stems are mostly about 4-8 in. tall, and often 

 lie flat on the ground surface with the flower- 

 bearing tips curving upward (Figure 14) . The 

 basal leaves are clustered at the top of the 

 taproot, egg-shaped to triangular in outline with 

 slender stalks, and about ^^-i in. long. The stem 

 leaves are egg-shaped, narrowed at the base, and 

 about %-% in. long. The plant produces an 

 abundance of yellow flowers in loose clusters that 

 are %-lh in. long. The petals are about h inch 

 long. The rounded fruits are slightly less than h 

 in. in diameter, and are on S-shaped stalks about 

 % in. long. The seeds are less than '/a in. long 

 (adapted from Shelly 1988) . 



2. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Taprooted perennial, densely 



stellate pubescent; trichomes loosely spreading, 

 primary rays 3-5, forked, ultimate rays 

 exceptionally long for members of the genus; 

 caudex simple, only slightly enlarged; radical 

 leaves petiolate, entire, 1.5-2.5 cm long, blade 

 obovate to deltate, with slender petioles; cauline 

 leaves oblanceolate to spatulate, 6-9 mm long; 

 stems erect to decumbent, slender, 6-10 cm high; 

 infructescences loose, 1-3 cm long; pedicels 

 slender, sigmoid, 5-7 mm long; siliques broadly 

 obovate, slightly bilobed to nearly truncate 

 above, densely pubescent with spreading trichomes, 

 ca. 4 mm high, ca. 5 mm wide, valves pubescent on 

 interior; replum narrowly obovate, obtuse above, 

 2.5-3 mm long; styles pubescent or glabrous, 3-3.5 

 mm long; ovules 2 in each locule; funiculi 

 attached near apex of replum; seeds slightly 

 longer than broad, wingless, thick, ca. 2 mm long, 

 ca. 1.8 mm wide; cotyledons accumbent (adapted 

 from Shelly 1988 and Rollins 1984). 



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