sheltered wet habitats, which are generally situated low on 

 the landscape gradients. 



The species occurs at 2720-4700 ft elevation elsewhere 

 in Montana, 1500 feet lower than the Anderson Hill 

 site (elevation 6200 feet) . 



3. SOIL RELATIONSHIPS: The known sites of C. calceolus in 

 Montana occur on Alfisol soil profiles with high organic 

 content and proximity to the water table commonly associated 

 with stable groundwater discharge zones. The soils are 

 derived from variable parent material, including limestone 

 and dolomite of the Madison Group or fine-grained 

 metamorphic rock of the Belt Supergroup, often in 

 combination with glacial or fluvial deposits overlying less 

 permeable strata. The most important feature of all known 

 sites may be the stable subsurface moisture. 



4. REGIONAL CLIMATE: The climate of western Montana west of 

 the Continental Divide can generally be classified as moist 

 and temperate. For the Anderson Hill area, the nearest 

 climatological stations are located at the Phillipsburg 

 Ranger Station of the Deerlodge National Forest over 40 

 miles to the south at a lower elevation, and at Missoula 

 about 60 miles west. Data for the period 1951-1980 are 

 provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce (1982). At the 

 Phillipsburg site, the mean annual precipitation was 14.22 

 inches, the mean annual temperature was 4 0.8 F, the mean 

 January minimum was 11.5 F, and the mean July maximum was 

 80.5 F. At Missoula, the mean annual precipitation was 

 13.29 inches, the mean annual temperature was 44.1 F, the 

 mean January minimum was 13.7 F,and the mean July maximum 

 was 84.8 F. 



F. POPULATION BIOLOGY 



1. PHENOLOGY: Peak flowering for Cypripedium calceolus in 

 Montana is usually in late May to early June, but the 

 Anderson Hill specimen was collected in full flower on 24 

 June 1924. Flowering duration is less than two weeks. 

 Either climatic conditions in 1924 were unusual so as to 

 delay flowering, or the Anderson Hill setting is different 

 enough from other Montana settings for the species to have a 

 late flowering period. The higher elevation of the Anderson 

 Hill site compared to other collection sites may also 

 account for delayed phenology. 



2. POPULATION SIZE AND CONDITION: Vegetative reproduction of C. 

 calceolus results in multiple stems from the same rootstock, 

 making it difficult to meaningfully estimate the number of 

 distinct individuals in the field. Estimates or exact 

 counts of the number of stems have been noted by botanists 



