Botany
The Botany Program strives to document the occurrence, distribution, and conservation status of vascular and non-vascular plants, lichens and non-lichenized fungi, and algal species that are native to Montana in a manner compatible with NatureServe and the network of natural heritage programs across the United States and Canada. Starting in 2018, we have also centralized similar information on non-native botanical species present in natural habitats or with the potential to invade natural habitats in Montana. We do this by centralizing information published in scientific journals, government reports, theses, dissertations, and unpublished reports from agencies and organizations. We also centralize credible survey and detection information that is gathered by museums, government agencies, Tribal nations, university researchers, private organizations, and private individuals. Finally, we directly gather distribution and status information in conjunction with agency, Tribal, and organizational partners by conducting field surveys for species of special interest.
Our core spatial information products include observation records, survey records that often use standardized protocols to detect individual species or groups of species, Species Occurrences for Species of Concern and Potential Species of Concern, range polygons, predicted habitat suitability models for individual species, and cumulative predicted habitat suitability models for various biodiversity groups. Spatial information is also used to assess the rarity of a species across the state, its origin in Montana, and is combined with data on population sizes, trends, and threats to determine the conservation status of each species in Montana. We work with NatureServe to assist in assigning global conservation status ranks. We use conservation status rank information to determine Montana’s Species of Concern for plant, fungus, and alga species so that agencies, Tribal nations, organizations, and private individuals can avoid impacts to populations that might needlessly imperil these species.
Finally, we create species accounts on the Montana Field Guide that provides descriptive information on the species’ identification, generalized global and state distributions, biology, phenology, habitat, ecology, and management that is based on scientific and other published literature.
Program highlights
- Completed the Montana Native Plant Conservation Strategy: Vascular Species and Habitats of Greatest Conservation Need.
- Completed a two-year Montana Citizen Botany Pilot Study that developed and tested components to guide implementation of a Montana Citizen Botany Program.
- Monitored Water Howellia (Howellia aquatilis), Thick-leaf Bladderpod (Physaria pachyphylla), and Spalding’s Catchfly (Silene spaldingii) populations.
- Created an educational brochure on the identification, conservation management, and data-needs of Ute Ladies’-tresses (Spiranthese diluvialis).
- Collaborated to create a Checklist of Montana Mosses (1880-2018).
Expertise
- Vascular plant inventory and population monitoring
- Lichen inventory and population monitoring
- Taxonomy of Montana’s botanical taxa
- Assessment of the conservation status of Montana’s botanical species
- Development of field guide accounts for Montana’s botanical species
2024 Program Focus
- Guide ongoing development of a Montana Citizen Botany Program with the Montana Native Plant Society and land management agencies to assist in carrying out field-based plant projects.
- Monitor the status of Thick-leaf Bladderpod (Physaria pachyphylla) and Spalding’s Catchfly (Silene spaldingii) populations.
- Conduct lichen biomonitoring surveys.
- Revise the Species of Concern list for Montana mosses.
- Develop field guide accounts for invasive non-native plants and revise accounts for Species of Concern plants and fungi, and other native plants.
