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Sprangletop - Scolochloa festucacea
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.
Scolochloa festucacea is rare in Montana, where it has been collected only three times, all of these collections are from Flathead County. The most recent observation is from a 1999 collection from Blanchard Lake near Whitefish. A collection from Ashley Lake was made in 1967. The current status of these populations is unknown and both lakes have experienced significant development. The oldest collection was made at an unknown location from west of Kalispell in 1949, and it could have been collected from Ashley Lake. Overall, the species appears to be extremely rare in Montana though actual population levels and trends are unknown.
Survey and monitoring data are greatly needed to be able to determine population levels, assess condition and for assessing population trends. Potentially suitable habitat in northwest Montana should be surveyed for additional populations.
General Description
Cool season, perennial, rhizomatous, aquatic. Stems 1–2 m. Leaves: blades 5–11 mm wide, flat and ascending; ligule membranous, 4–8 mm long; sheaths with overlapping margins. Inflorescence an open panicle 15–26 cm long. Spikelets 7–11 mm long, with 5 to 9 florets; glumes similar to lemmas. Lemmas 4–9 mm long, each with a distinctly hairy callus, usually keeled and distinctly parallel veined, unawned but with an acute tip; palea enclosed in floret. Disarticulation above glumes; unit of dispersal is the floret (Lavin in
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 Flathead County; throughout the northwest region of North America (Lavin in Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 4
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Wetland and Riparian
Peatland
Wet Meadow and Marsh
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- Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 2007. Flora of North America North of Mexico. Volume 24. Magnoliophyta: Commelinidae, Part 1. Oxford University Press, Inc., NY. xxxiii + 911 pp.
- 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.- Sturm, J. and J.G. Sturm. 1796. Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen (nur Tafeln). Stuttgart, Germany. 882 pp.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Britton, N. L. and A. B. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada, and the British Possessions. 2nd Edition in 3 Volumes. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. B13BRI01PAUS.
- 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.
- Smith, A. L. 1973. Life cycle of the marsh grass Scolochloa festucacea. Canadian Journal of Botany 51:1661-1668.
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