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Green Prince's plume - Stanleya viridiflora
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.
Stanleya viridiflora is rare to uncommon in southwestern Montana, where the species reaches its northern extent. Population numbers are imprecisely known though appear to number at least a few thousand plants. Trends are unknown though the species has likely been relatively stable in the recent past as the speces' habitat is largely intact. Cheatgrass may pose a threat to some occurrences via direct competition or by changing the fire regime. The species' conservation rank in the state is uncertatin and it may be vulnerable. Additional data are needed to clarify the species' status.
Surveys of the known occurrences are needed to collect data on population sizes and extent, habitat quality and potential threats. Additional surveys of potentially suitable habitat may document additional occurrences. Monitoring of a subset of populations is needed to be able to determine potential trends.
General Description
Glabrous and glaucous, biennial or monocarpic perennial from a simple caudex covered in old leaf bases. Stems erect, simple or branched above, 50–80 cm. Leaves basal and cauline; basal leaves petiolate, the blade 5–13 cm long, oblanceolate, entire or with a few basal teeth or lobes; stem leaves oblanceolate, sessile, auriculate. Petals pale yellow, brown at the base, 13–21 mm long, glabrous. Fruit downcurved, 3–6 cm long, constricted between seeds; the stipe 10–20 mm long; pedicels spreading, 4–8 mm long. Stony, usually calcareous soil of sparsely vegetated slopes in steppe, woodlands; montane (
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Collected in Beaverhead and Madison counties; ID, MT south to CA, NV, UT and CO (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 22
(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
Open, stony soil of steep slopes and outcrops in the valley, foothill and montane zones. Typically associated with calcareous substrates.
Stewardship Responsibility
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.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- 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.- Rollins, R. C. 1993. The Cruciferae of Continental North America: systematics of the mustard family from the Arctic to Panama. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. 976 pp.
- Vanderhorst, J.P. and P. Lesica. 1995a. Sensitive plant survey of the Tendoy Mountains in the Beaverhead National Forest, Beaverhead County, Montana. Unpublished report to the Bureau of Land Management, Butte District. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 59 pp. plus appendices.
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