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Pink Coil-beaked Lousewort - Pedicularis contorta var. ctenophora
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
DRAFT: Requesting feedback on the 2026 revised rank, factors, and State Rank Reason outlined in the Conservation Status Rank Report.
Pedicularis contorta var. ctenophora is a regional endemic restricted to southwest Montana and parts of adjacent Idaho and Wyoming. It is rare in the state, being known from less than 2 dozen sites and population levels that appear to number <10,000 plants. Trends are undocumented, though it seems likely that it has been relatively stable or experienced only minor declines in the recent past. Illegal, off-road motorcycle use has been identified as a localized threat to one population. No other significant or widespread threats have been identified.
Surveys are needed at most of the known occurrences to document population size and extent, habitat condition and potential threats. Monitoring at a subset of populations is needed to be able to determine potential population trends.
General Description
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Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Variety ctenophora is a regional endemic of southwest Montana and north-central Wyoming.
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 30
(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
Wooded or open slopes and drier meadows in the montane to subalpine zones.
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Alpine
Alpine - Vegetated
Forest and Woodland
Montane - Subalpine Forest and Woodland
Grassland
Montane - Subalpine Grassland
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
Threats or Limiting Factors
STATE THREAT SCORE REASON
Reported threats to Montana’s populations of Pink Coil-beaked Lousewort are due to motorcycle recreation occurring in the vicinity of some populations. This area is closed to motorized travel in order to limit threats to vegetation as it is rich in rare subalpine and alpine plant species. However, motorized travel is repeatedly reported despite posted signs and attempts to encounter violators by law enforcement (MTNHP Threat Assessment 2021). At least slight population declines are expected if motorized activity remains unmitigated.
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication
Macior, L.M. 1974. Pollination ecology of the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Melanderia 15: 1-59.- Miller-Struttmann, N.E. and C. Galen. 2014. High-altitude multi-taskers: bumble bee food plant use broadens along an altitudinal productivity gradient. Oecologia 176:1033-1045.
- 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.
- Plath, O.E. 1934. Bumblebees and their ways. New York, NY: Macmillan Company. 201 p.
- Williams, P., R. Thorp, L. Richardson, and S. Colla. 2014. Bumble Bees of North America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 208 p.
- Wilson, J.S., L.E. Wilson, L.D. Loftis, and T. Griswold. 2010. The montane bee fauna of north central Washington, USA, with floral associations. Western North American Naturalist 70(2): 198-207.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
- 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.
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