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Miner's Candle - Cryptantha scoparia
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
DRAFT: Requesting feedback on the 2026 revised rank, factors, and State Rank Reason outlined below and in the Conservation Status Rank Report.
Cryptantha scoparia is extremely rare in the state, being known from only one location in the Bighorn Basin/Pryor Mtn Desert area of Carbon County. It is somewhat disjunct in Montana with the next closest location being central Wyoming. The Montana occurrence has not been surveyed since the early 1990's.
A survey of the location is needed to determine the current status of the species at the site, the habitat condition and if any potential threats exist. Additional surveys of potentially suitable habitat in the vicinity of the known location are needed to determine if other populations are present in Montana.
General Description
Miner's Candle is a slender annual herb with simple or branched stems that are 5-15 cm high. The alternate, narrow, strap-shaped leaves are 2-4 cm long; those at the base are usually brown by the time the plant is fruiting. Stems are sparsely covered with straight hairs appressed to the surface, while the leaves have some spreading hairs. Tiny, white flowers are borne on coiled stalks that unwind and elongate as flowering progresses from the base upward. The corolla is ca. 1 mm high and has a small united portion below and 5 spreading petals above. The narrow calyx is covered with bristly hairs and becomes 4-6 mm long in fruit. The 4 lance-shaped nutlets are ca. 2 mm long, ca 0.5 mm wide, and are finely bumpy.
Phenology
Flowering occurs in June, however mature nutlets are necessary for positive identification.
Diagnostic Characteristics
The many similar-appearing, small-flowered, annual members of the genus Cryptantha are best distinguished by the ornamentation of the mature nutlets. Cryptantha scoparia has narrowly lance-shaped nutlets that are less than 7 mm wide, with tiny hooked prickles. This combination of characters is diagnostic.
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Snake River plains of Idaho, extending into adjacent Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. Cronquist reports disjuncts on the Salmon River in Idaho and in Yakima County, Washington. Also known from SW Wyoming and NW Colorado.
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 2
(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
Miner's candle is known from the Pryor Mountains, where it grows at about 1370 m (4500 feet) in dry, sandy, limestone uplands dominated by Artemisia tridentata and Agropyron spicatum (Lesica and Achuff 1992). Other associates include Phlox hoodii, Arenaria hookeri, Camissonia andina, Camissonia minor, Chenopodium album, Bromus tectorum, Descurainia pinnata, Bouteloua gracilis, Gilia leptomeria, Stipa comata, and Lappula redowskii.
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Shrubland
Sagebrush Shrubland
Ecology
The species is an annual, and population sizes may vary greatly from year to year (Lesica and Achuff 1992). Plants are usually found where vegetation is relatively sparse. The small size of the flowers and the regularity of fruiting suggest that C. scoparia is self-pollinated.
Management
This species' habitat is subject to grazing, although the effects are unknown. Populations could be vulnerable to invasive weeds, which can be spread by livestock. However, livestock may also spread the seeds of C. scoparia and help create open habitat required for seedling establishment.
Stewardship Responsibility
Threats or Limiting Factors
STATE THREAT SCORE REASON
Threat impact not assigned because threats are not known (MTNHP Threat Assessment 2021).
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
MTNHP Threat Assessment. 2021. State Threat Score Assignment and Assessment of Reported Threats from 2006 to 2021 for State-listed Vascular Plants. Botany Program, Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, Montana.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Kisch, H.R. 2015. An inventory of carbon stocks under native vegetation and farm fields in south-central Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 67 p.
- Lesica, P. and P. F. Stickney. 1994. Noteworthy collections: Montana. Madrono 41:228-231.
- Lesica, P. and P.L. Achuff. 1992. Distribution of vascular plant species of special concern and limited distribution in the Pryor Mountain desert, Carbon County, Montana. Unpublished report to the Bureau of Land Management. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 105 pp.
- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
- Quire, R.L. 2013. The sagebrush steppe of Montana and southeastern Idaho shows evidence of high native plant diversity, stability, and resistance to the detrimental effects of nonnative plant species. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 124 p.
- Rundquist, V.M. 1973. Avian ecology on stock ponds in two vegetational types in north-central Montana. Ph.D. Dissertation. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 112 p.
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Miner's Candle"
