19 



c. U. S. Forest Service: Sensitive in Region 1 (USDA Forest 

 Service 1994a) . 



2. State: The Montana Natural Heritage Program ranks 

 Lesquerella sp. novum I as G2 and S2 (Heidel 1994), 

 signifying that the taxon is imperilled because of rarity. 

 The global and state ranks are the same because the taxon is 

 found only in Montana. 



C. Geographic distribution 



1. Species range: The taxon appears to be endemic to Montana. 



2. Montana distribution: This will depend on the ultimate 

 circumscription of the species. Eight populations in 

 Montana have been assigned to this taxon in the past (Heidel 

 1993) mostly in the foothills of the Pioneer Mountains and 

 just south around Badger Pass and Bannack in Beaverhead 

 County, but single outlying populations have also been 

 identified in the Centennial Mountains (Beaverhead County) 

 and in the foothills of the Sapphire Mountains (Granite 

 County). Plants from the Granite County population (Emerine 

 Gulch) are somewhat different from those in this study area, 

 having longer, narrower fruits, and probably represent a 

 different taxon (personal observation and collections). 

 Four of the Beaverhead County occurrences are on BLM land. 



3. Occurrences in the study area: One population was located 

 for the fist time on BLM land in the "Rocky Hills" (009) 

 between Grant and Bannack. An Element Occurrence Record and 

 map showing the precise location are given in Appendix C. 



D. Habitat 



1. Associated vegetation: Lesquerella sp. novum I occurs in 

 both foothill and sub-alpine settings (Heidel 1993). The 

 population in the Rocky Hills, and most others on BLM land, 

 are in the foothills in communities dominated by mountain 

 mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) and bluebunch wheatgrass 

 (Elymus spicatus) . Limber pine (Pinus flexilis) and 

 sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) are subdominant at the 

 Rocky Hills and some other BLM sites. The undescribed 

 bladderpod usually grows in open and exposed microhabitats 

 in these communities, rarely close to or in the shade of the 

 dominant canopy species (Heidel 1993). Other forbs in these 

 openings in the Rocky Hills include Castilleja pallescens, 

 Haplopappus acaulis, Penstemon aridus, and Senecio canus . A 

 photographic slide of the habitat in the Rocky Hills is 

 attached at the end of this report. 



2. Topography: The foothills sites in Beaverhead County are on 

 ridges and upper slopes on topography controlled by outcrops 



