University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1965 A survey of distribution patterns in the Montana alpine flora Richard H. Pemble The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Pemble, Richard H., "A survey of distribution patterns in the Montana alpine flora" (1965). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 6680. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/6680 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A SURVEY OF DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS IN THE MONTANA ALPINE FLORA by RICHARD HOPPE PEMBLE B.A. Simpson College, 196j Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1965 Approved by: Chairman, Bracrd of Examiners\ Dean, Graduate School AUG ' *• Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: EP37481 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT Ois»artation Publishing UMI EP37481 Published by ProQuest LLG (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLG. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Gode Proj^test* ProQuest LLG. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 -1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to express my fullest appreciation to Dr. L.H. Harvey who gave so freely of his time to help me in all phases of this study. I should also like to acknowledge the help of Drs. R.S. Hoffmann, J. R« Habeck, and S.J. Preece who served as members of my examining committee and were kind enough to critically read this thesis prior to the writ­ ing of a final draft. My appreciation is also extended to Dr. W.E. Booth who gave me unrestricted access to the herbarium of Montana State University during my time spent there. And last, but not least, I should like to acknowledge the help and encouragement of my wife, Helen, who took over the many 'secretarial duties' involved with writing this thesis. I should also like to acknowledge the National Science Foundation summer fellowship program for partial financial support during this study. •ii— Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION................ 1 Physiography of Montana.......................................... 3 Past and Present Climate of Montana ..................... 6 Description of the Alpine Zone ........................ 10 T i m b e r l i n e ................................................... 12 Ecology of the alpine z o n e ................................... 13 Definition of an Alpine Plant................................... U 4 Floristic Elements ...... , 1^ PROCEDURE.......................................................... 18 Determination of Altitudinal Limits of Alpine Areas in Montana 18 Field Studies...................................................... 18 Herbarium Material Studied ................................. 19 Distribution Maps ............ 21 FLORISTIC ELEMENTS IN THE MONTANA ALPINE FLORA 2h The Lowland Element ........................................... 2^ The Arc tic-alpine Element............................. 26 Arctic-alpine species which are fully circumpolar or nearly so . .................................................. 26 Arctic-alpine species which are widely distributed in the North American Arctic and that of eastern or western Eurasia, 35 Arctic-alpine species restricted to North American Arctic or found, in addition, only on the Pacific Coast of Eurasia and/or in Greenland........................................ -iii- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. _>iv- PAGE Cordllleran Element. hi Species with a wide range in the western Cordilleras <> . » U8 Species restricted to Rocky Mountains. ............ 6l Pacific Coast Element.......... 68 Endemic s .......o..............*..... ^ 2! DISCUSSION ...... .......... ................ 80 SUMMARY............................... 89 LITERATURE CITED ......................... 91 APPENDIX I List of species constituting the lowland element in the Montana alpine flora. ....... .... 96 APPENDIX II Distribution of species occurring in the Montana alpine ......................... ............ 103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Maximum Glaciation in Montana During the Pleistocene. • . 11 2. Mountainous Montana ................................. 23 3# Erigeron humilis Graham. The Montana Alpine Distribution of a Gircumpolar Arctic-alpine Species Reaching its Southern Limits in the Rocky Mountains in Northwest Montana. 28 ii* Average July Temperatures in Montana. ............ 29 5. Gassiope tetragona (L.) D.Don var. saximontana (Small) C.L. Hitchc, The Montana Alpine Distribution of a Circumpolar Arctic-alpine Species Reaching its Southern Limits in the Rocky Mountains in Extreme West-central Montana . • 31 6 . Saxifraga oppositifolia L, The Montana Alpine Distribution of a Circumpolar Arctic-alpine Species Reaching its Southern Limit in the Rocky Mountains in the Beartooth Plateau Area 33 7. Festuca brachyphylla Schulte. A Circumpolar Arctic-alpine Species Reaching its Southern Limit in the Rocky Mountains xn New Mexxc o. ....... .............. 3^ 8. Androsace lehmanniana Spreng. The Montana Alpine Distribution of an Arctic-alpine Species Widely Distributed in the North American Arctic and that of Western Eurasia and Which Reaches its Southern Rocky Mountain Limit in North- central Montana ...........o*...»*. 3^ -V- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. -VI- FIGURE PAGE 9» Pedicularis oederi Vahl, The Montana Alpine Distribution of an Arctic-alpine Species Widely Distributed in the North American Arctic and Western Eurasia Which Reaches its Southern Limits in the Rocky Mountains in the Beartooth Plateau Area. ............. 38 10. Eritrichium nanum (Vill.) Schrad, var. elongatum(Rydb.)Gronq. The Montana Alpine Distribution of an Arctic-alpine Species Widely Distributed in the North American Arctic and West­ ern Eurasia Which Reaches its Southern Limits in the Rocky Mountains in New M e x i c o .............. liO 11. Agropyron latiglume (Scribn.&Smith)Rydb. The Montana Alpine Distribution of an Arctic-alpine Species Restricted in the Arctic to North America and Greenland ................... UU 12. Trisetum spicatum (L,) Richt. The Montana Alpine Distribu­ tion of an Arctic-alpine Species Which is Widely Distribu­ ted Including Stations in Both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere as well as Alpine Areas in Europe and Asia . U7 13. General Distribution of the Cordilleran Element Widely Distributed from Alaska Along the Rocky Mountains, in the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas but not in the Coast Ranges of California ..................... h9 lii, Fhyllodoce empetriformis (Sw.) D.Don. The Montana Alpine Distribution of the Cordilleran Element Widely Distribu­ ted from Alaska Along the Rocky Mountains, in the Cas­ cades and Sierra Nevadas but not in the Coast Ranges of California ..................... ......... ^0 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. FIGURE PAGE 1$, The General Distribution of the Cordilleran Element Widely Distributed from Alaska Along the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevadas, the Coast Ranges of California and Sometimes Extending into the Cascades ................ ^2 16 . Cassiope mertensiana (Bong.) D.Don var. gracilis (Piper) C.L.Hitchc, The Montana Alpine Distribution of the Cordilleran Element Widely Distributed from Alaska Along the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas, the Coast Ranges of California, and the Cascades. .... 53 17. The General Distribution of the Cordilleran Element Widely Distributed from British Columbia and/or Alberta Along the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevadas, sometimes ex­ tending into the Cascades but not the Coast Ranges of California ........................... 55 1 8 . Senecio fremontii T. & G. var, fremontii. The Montana Alpine Distribution of the Cordilleran Element Widely Distributed in the Rocky Mountains from British Columbia and Alberta Along the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevadas but not in the Coast Ranges of California, .................... 56 1 9 . General Distribution of the Members of the Cordilleran Element Which are Distributed in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierras but not in Coast Ranges of California, and Reach their Northern Limits in Southwestern and South-central Montana.............. 59 Reproduced with permission of