Polygonum douglasii 

 ssp. austinae 



CURRENT SITES: Polygonum douglasii ssp, austinae is 

 currently known from four sites in the Big Belt 

 Mountains on the Helena National Forest. More 

 detailed information on these sites as well as the 

 exact location for each site on a 7 . 5 ' USGS 

 topographic map can be found in Appendix 5. 



UNVERIFIED/UNDOCUMENTED REPORTS: There is an 

 historical locality (1945) with a general location 

 (20 miles east of Townsend in Big Belt Mountains 

 on road to White Sulphur Springs) which possibly 

 could be within the Helena National Forest, but 

 this site could not be relocated. 



HABITAT 



ASSOCIATED VEGETATION: Throughout its range. 

 Polygonum douglasii ssp. austinae is found on 

 sparsely-vegetated, mainly dry flats or banks, 

 from the sagebrush plains into the lower 

 mountains, often in ponderosa pine forests 

 (Hitchcock and Cronquist 1964) . Montana sites 

 consist of barren shale slopes or grasslands, 

 often in association with ponderosa pine and 

 bluebunch wheatgrass. At the sites on the Helena 

 National Forest, the taxon occurs within a 

 ponderosa pine-bluebunch wheatgrass plant 

 association. Commonly associated species at these 

 sites are: 



Amelanchier alnifolia 

 Arenaria nuttallii 

 Artemisia dracunculus 

 Artemisia tridentata 

 Aster laevis 

 Bromus iaponicus 



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