2. State: In South Dakota, the state rank is "SU" (status 

 undetermined) based on five collection records with the most 

 recent being in 1959. 



Geographical distribution 



1. Species range: Southern 

 Saskatchewan to Colorado and 

 Arizona. 



D. 



2. South Dakota distribution: 

 Western and northern South 

 Dakota (Van Bruggen 1985) . 



3 . Occurrence in the study 

 area: Collected in 1959 from 

 the South Cave Hills. Immature 

 material was collected in the 

 North Cave Hills which is 

 inadeguate for verification but 

 otherwise consistent, located 

 along Fuller Canyon in T22N R5E 

 Sec. 10 NW 1/4 of SW 1/4, an 

 area dominated by Distichilis 

 stricta with a well-developed 

 flora of plants adapted to 

 alkalinity. This species is 

 not known from Montana, though 

 there is potential habitat at 

 the north end of the Long 

 Pines. 



Habitat 



IJ73. Aster paucijtarus Nun 



Few flowered Asiei 



1. Associated vegetation: The associated plant community is 

 an edaphic and possibly also an early-successional community 

 for which no associated species information is available in 

 Harding County. 



2. Topography: Aster paucif lorus may be restricted to low- 

 lying riparian habitat in the rolling plains setting. The 

 only Harding County record in which topographic position is 

 indicated was from the floodplain of Box Elder Creek, an 

 ephemeral watercourse. By late summer, these settings have no 

 surface water, accounting for herbarium labels noting "dry 

 soil". 



3. Soil relationships: See above. 



E. Population biology and biological interactions: Unavailable. 



57 



