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Selway Coil-beaked Lousewort - Pedicularis contorta var. rubicunda

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Species of Concern
Native Species

Global Rank: G5T3
State Rank: S2S3
(see State Rank Reason below)
State Threat Score: No Known Threats
CCVI: Highly Vulnerable
C-value:


Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS: Sensitive - Known in Forests (BD)
BLM:


 

External Links

State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Restricted in Montana to the Bitterroot Mountains where it is documented from several occurrences. Limited data are available for the species and it may be more common than the few collections indicate.
  •  Details on Status Ranking and Review
    Selway Coil-beaked Lousewort (Pedicularis contorta var. rubicunda) Conservation Status Review
    Review Date = 05/04/2013
    View State Conservation Rank Criteria
    Population Size

    Score2 - Small: Generally 2,000-10,000 individuals.

    CommentEstimated. Available observation and collection information provides little data on population levels.

    Range Extent

    Score2 - Regional or State Endemic or Small Montana Range: Generally restricted to an area <100,000 sq. miles (equivalent to 2/3 the size of Montana or less) or Montana contributes 50% or more of the species’ range or populations OR limited to 2-3 Sub-basins in Montana.

    Area of Occupancy

    Score2 - Low: Generally occurring in 4-10 Subwatersheds (6th Code HUC’s).

    Environmental Specificity

    Score1 - Moderate: Species is restricted to a specific habitat that is more widely distributed or to several restricted habitats and is typically dependent upon relatively unaltered, good-quality habitat (C Values of 5-7).

    Trends

    ScoreNA - Rank factor not assessed.

    CommentTrends unknown, though populations are likely stable or experiencing only minor declines.

    Threats

    Score0-1 - Low to Medium.

    Intrinsic Vulnerability

    Score1 - Moderate Vulnerability: Specific biological attributes, unusual life history characteristics or limited reproductive potential makes the species susceptible to extirpation from stochastic events or other adverse impacts to its habitat and slow to recover.

    Raw Conservation Status Score

    Score 8 to 9 total points scored out of a possible 16 (Rarity factors and threats only).

 
General Description
Selway lousewort is a glabrous perennial herb with clustered stems, 14-65 cm (6-26 in) high, from a branched rootcrown. Basal leaves, 5-20 cm (2-8 in) long, have a long petiole and a lance-shaped blade, pinnately divided to the midvein into narrow, toothed segments. The few stem leaves become smaller up the stem. Pink flowers, ca. 1 cm long, each subtended by a palmately divided, leaf-like bract, are borne in a narrow, open spike. The short tubular calyx is reddish at the base and has 5 unequal, pointed lobes. The upper petal is marked with purple and has a long, downcurved snout, extending on top of the elliptical lower lip which has 3 shallow lobes. Seeds are borne in a flattened capsule.

Diagnostic Characteristics
Variety contorta has white flowers; Variety ctenophora has pink flowers, but it has a green calyx and bracts covered with long hairs.

Species Range
Montana Range Range Descriptions

Native
 


Range Comments
Variety rubicunda is a regional endemic of the Bitterroot Mountains in Ravalli County, Montana and central Idaho.

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 18

(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density

Recency

 

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)



Habitat
Ridgetops and meadows in the upper subalpine and alpine zones.
Predicted Suitable Habitat Model

This species has a Predicted Suitable Habitat Model available.

To learn how these Models were created see mtnhp.org/models

Ecological Systems Associated with this Species

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 bifarius, Bombus fervidus, Bombus flavifrons, Bombus frigidus, Bombus melanopygus, Bombus mixtus, Bombus rufocinctus, Bombus sylvicola, Bombus occidentalis, and Bombus kirbiellus (Plath 1934, Macior 1974, Wilson et al. 2010, Miller-Struttmann and Galen 2014, Williams et al. 2014).

Stewardship Responsibility

Based on the Montana Natural Heritage Program's latest predicted habitat suitability model

Total species' range in Montana 2,252 km2 (<1% of Montana)
Area predicted to have
some level of suitable habitat		 957 km2 (<1% of Montana)

Stewardship responsibility for the predicted area of suitable habitat can be broken down as follows

  Total Suitable Optimal Suitability Moderate Suitability Low Suitability
Federal 100% <1% 71% 29%
State <1% <1%
Local
Conservation Lands/Easements
Private/Tribal/Unknown <1% <1% <1%

See the Habitat Suitability for Biodiversity task in Map Viewer for a more detailed look at stewardship responsibilities within a variety of local jurisdictions.


Threats or Limiting Factors
STATE THREAT SCORE REASON
Threat impact not assigned because threats are not known (MTNHP Threat Assessment 2021).

References
  •  Literature Cited Above
  •  Additional References
  •  Web Search Engines for Articles on "Selway Coil-beaked Lousewort"
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Citation for data on this website:
Selway Coil-beaked Lousewort — Pedicularis contorta var. rubicunda.  Montana Field Guide.  .  Retrieved on , from