the suggestion of Steve Shelly. Due to success in finding new 

 populations, and the time dedicated to surveying them, only a 

 small proportion of the Forest was explored, all within a six 

 mile radius of Storm Lake. Figures 1-4 in Appendix A are maps 

 showing travel routes and the areas which were intensely 

 searched. 



Whenever B. paradoxum was found, the population was 

 surveyed, mapped, and photographed. Notes were taken on 

 population biology (numbers, boundaries, phenology) and 

 habitat (associated vegetation, slope, soil, etc..) and 

 standard field survey forms were filled out. Photographs were 

 taken of the plants and habitat with an Olympus OM-1 camera 

 with a standard 50 mm lens (with or without screw on close up 

 lenses) on Kodachrome 64 ASA slide film. Usually a 

 translucent plastic bag was draped over the overstory 

 vegetation to eliminate shadows. Additional slides were 

 contributed by John Joy. A limited number of specimens of B. 

 paradoxum and other Botrychium species were collected, 

 pressed, and dried as population size reasonably allowed. 

 Collections were also made of associated flowering plants when 

 positive field identification was difficult or impossible or 

 when surveying poorly botanized areas (e.g. One Hundred Acre 

 Meadow) . All specimens will be identified, labeled, and 

 deposited in herbaria (MONT in Bozeman will receive the first 

 set) . The Botrychium specimens were taken to Mike Windham, a 

 fern specialist at the University of Utah, who offered 

 tentative determinations. Dr. W. H. Wagner Jr., the world's 

 foremost "botrychiologist , " was asked to verify determinations 

 but was reluctant to accept specimens due to a large backlog, 

 however, he was able to make comments based on slides of 

 living plants and photocopies of the specimens. 



RESULTS 



This project significantly expands the populations and 

 numbers of Botrychium paradoxum known to exist. The main 

 Storm Lake population was found to consist of more individuals 

 and to cover more ground than previously reported and two 

 subpopulations within the same basin were located for the 

 first time. In addition, new populations at "Windy Ridge" 

 (called so by locals, but not on maps) and One Hundred Acre 

 Meadow were found. The population on Windy Ridge represents 

 by far the largest population of this species reported to 

 date. 



There is a tendency for species of Botrychium to grow in 

 mixed populations which have been called "genus communities" 

 (Wagner and Wagner 1983). At all three B. paradoxum sites on 



