Home/Species/ Prairie Bluebells

Mertensia lanceolata

(Pursh) DC.

Prairie Bluebells

G5Secure Found in 12 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.151741

Element CodePDBOR0N0C0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderLamiales

FamilyBoraginaceae

GenusMertensia

Other Common Names

Lance-leaved Bluebells (EN) Lance-leaved Lungwort (EN) Mertensie lancéolée (FR) prairie bluebells (EN)

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Taxonomic Comments

This record is for Mertensia lanceolata in the broad sense recognized in Kartesz (1994), including the recognized varieties var. brachyloba, var. nivalis, and var. secundorum and including in the synonymy of var. nivalis: M. bakeri, M. lanceolata var. fendleri, M. lanceolata var. pubens, M. viridis var. cana, M viridis var. cynoglossoides, and M. viridis var. parvifolia, among others. More recent treatments (e.g., Ackerfield 2022) recognize a more narrow M. lanceolata and as distinct taxa: M. bakeri, M. brachyloba, M. cana, M. cynoglossoides, M. fendleri, M. fendleri var. pubens, and M. parvifolia.

Conservation Status

Review Date1988-12-15

Change Date1988-12-15

Ecology & Habitat

Other Nations (2)

United StatesNNR

Province	Rank	Native
Idaho	SNR	Yes
Nebraska	S2	Yes
New Mexico	SNR	Yes
Montana	SNR	Yes
South Dakota	SNR	Yes
Colorado	S4	Yes
Utah	SNR	Yes
North Dakota	SNR	Yes
Wyoming	S4	Yes

CanadaN3

Province	Rank	Native
Alberta	S2	Yes
Manitoba	S2	Yes
Saskatchewan	S3	Yes

Plant Characteristics

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (12)

Colorado (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bristol Head	Rio Grande NF	46,087
Comanche Peak Adjacent Area	Arapaho & Roosevelt NFs	44,158
Hermosa	San Juan NF	148,103

Montana (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Big Snowy Mountains Wsa	Lewis and Clark National Forest	88,003
Line Creek Plateau	Custer National Forest	24,825

New Mexico (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Alamo Canyon	Santa Fe National Forest	8,639

North Dakota (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bell Lake	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	11,265
Long X Divide	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	10,099
Wannagan	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	6,026

South Dakota (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Red Shirt	Buffalo Gap National Grassland	17,007

Wyoming (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Beartooth Proposed Wilderness	Shoshone National Forest	16,837
Laramie Peak	Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest	28,608

References (2)

Ackerfield, J. 2022. Flora of Colorado. Second Edition. Bot. Misc. 60. BRIT Press, Fort Worth Botanic Garden/Botanical Research Institute of Texas, U.S.A. 861 pp.
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.