Geographical distribution 



1. Species range: Mountain 

 bluebells is common in the 

 Rocky Mountains and is also 

 found in the Great Basin and 

 the Sierras (Hitchcock et al. 

 1984) . The range of this 

 species barely enters the Great 

 Plains, where it is known from 

 at least Stanley County, SD, 

 Wibaux County, MT, Laramie 

 County, WY and Weld County, CO 

 (Great Plains Flora Association 

 1977) at the eastern limits of 

 its range. 



2. South Dakota distribution: 

 Rare in western South Dakota 

 (Van Bruggen 1985) . 



(From Great Plains Flora 

 Association 1977) 



3. Occurrence in the study area: This species was recently 

 documented from the Teepee Canyon of Slim Buttes. It had been 

 collected in 1912 in the West Short Pines, a unit which was 

 not visited in the study. It is not known whether the 

 original West Short Pines collection was made within present- 

 day Forest Service boundaries. This species was not found on 

 the Montana units of the District. 



Habitat 



1. Associated vegetation: The Slim Buttes population was 

 documented from a steep forested slope of Pinus ponderosa . 

 Information on the associated West Short Pines site is 

 unavailable. Van Bruggen (1985) characterizes its habitat as 

 "damp thickets." The associated species at Slim Butte were: 



Cystopteris fraqilis 

 Elymus villosus 

 Fraxinus pensylvanica 

 Galium boreale 

 Pinus ponderosa 

 Prunus virginiana 



2. Topography: This species as it occurs in the Great Plains 

 occupies valley bottom settings associated with springs, 

 seeps, and spring-fed watercourses. Its Slim Butte population 

 is located on the lower slope of a steep north facing slope in 

 Teepee Canyon. 



3. Soil relationships: Semi-saturated or mesic. 



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