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Little Sunflower - Helianthus pumilus
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State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Helianthus pumilus is documented from a single 2007 collection from Big Horn County, Montana (Rocky Mountain Herbarium #910246). It was previously reported for Montana by the Flora of the Great Plains (McGregor et al. 1986). Globally this plant occurs in Colorado and Wyoming where it occupies dry, rocky places (Schilling in Flora of North America 2007). This location, though imprecisely mapped, extends the range northward. Surveys that bring forth precise mapping and data on population sizes, habitat, and threats are greatly needed.
General Description
Plants : Stems are rough-hairy, simple or branched, and up to one meter tall from a tough, tap-rooted crown (McGregor et al. 1986).Leaves : Leaves are opposite with distinct petioles, which are 0.4 to 3 centimeters long (McGregor et al. 1986; eFloras 2017). Blades are ashy green and egg- or lance-shaped with tapering bases and entire to serrate margins (McGregor et al. 1986). Dimensions are 4 to 15 centimeters long by 1 to 4 centimeters wide (McGregor et al. 1986). The leaves are stiffly hairy and dotted with glands (eFloras 2017).Inflorescence : There are few radiate heads on short peduncles (McGregor et al. 1986). There are 15 to 25 loosely clasping involucral bracts, 3.5 to 7.5 millimeters long (eFloras 2017). Like the leaves, they have glands as well as stiff, whitish hairs (eFloras 2017).
Phenology
Flowers July to August (McGregor et al. 1986).
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Colorado and Wyoming (eFloras 2017).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 1
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
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Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Found in dry, open areas with rocky soil at the base of the Rocky Mountains (eFloras 2017; McGregor et al. 1986).
Ecology
POLLINATORS The following animal species have been reported as pollinators of this plant species or its genus where their geographic ranges overlap:
Bombus vagans ,
Bombus appositus ,
Bombus centralis ,
Bombus fervidus ,
Bombus flavifrons ,
Bombus huntii ,
Bombus nevadensis ,
Bombus rufocinctus ,
Bombus pensylvanicus ,
Bombus bimaculatus ,
Bombus griseocollis ,
Bombus impatiens ,
Bombus insularis , and
Bombus flavidus (Thorp et al. 1983, Mayer et al. 2000, Colla and Dumesh 2010, Colla et al. 2011, Koch et al. 2012, Williams et al. 2014).
Reproductive Characteristics
Flowers: The disk is yellow or sometimes reddish and 1 to 1.5 centimeters across, surrounded by about 10 yellow ray flowers. Each disk flower is subtended by an entire or three-lobed chaffy bract, which is 7 to 8 millimeters long (McGregor et al. 1986; eFloras 2017).
Stewardship Responsibility
Threats or Limiting Factors
STATE THREAT SCORE REASON
References
Literature Cited AboveLegend:
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