SPECIES:  Agastache cusickii

• Introductory
• Distribution and Occurrence
• Management Considerations
• Botanical and Ecological Characteristics
• Fire Ecology
• Fire Effects
• References

Introductory
SPECIES: Agastache cusickii



AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Agastache cusickii. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). 
Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [].




ABBREVIATION : 
AGACUS

SYNONYMS : 
   Agastache cusickii Heller
   Lophanthus cusickii Greenman


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   AGCU


COMMON NAMES : 
   Cusick's giant hyssop
   giant hyssop
   horse-mint
   Cusick horse-mint


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name of Cusick's giant hyssop is
Agastache cusickii (Greenman) Heller (Lamiaceae).  A typical variety and
A. c. var. parva Cronquist are recognized [3,4,5,6].


LIFE FORM : 
Forb

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
See OTHER STATUS

OTHER STATUS : 
Cusick's giant hyssop is classified as endangered in Montana [8].

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Agastache cusickii



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Cusick's giant hyssop is found in the Steens Mountains of southeast
Oregon; the Santa Rosa, White Pine, and Toiyabe mountains of north and
central Nevada; and the Tendoy Mountains in southwest Montana.  It is
also found in numerous locations in central Idaho [3,4,5].  In addition,
populations are reported from other mountain ranges in Nevada [10].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES29  Sagebrush
   FRES44  Alpine
   may occur in other ecosystems but specific information is lacking


STATES : 
     ID  MT  NV  OR



BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    5  Columbia Plateau
    6  Upper Basin and Range
    8  Northern Rocky Mountains


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY


SAF COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
NO-ENTRY

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Agastache cusickii





IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
NO-ENTRY


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Agastache cusickii



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Cusick's giant hyssop is a dwarf perennial forb, usually 4 to 8 inches
(10-20 cm) tall with a spiked inflorescence.  Numerous simple or
branched stems arise from a woody taproot and branching caudex.  Leaves
are mostly 0.4 to 1.0 inch (1-2.5 cm) long and are finely puberulent.
The fruits are nutlets [3,4,5].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Chamaephyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
NO-ENTRY


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Cusick's giant hyssop is found on dry, rocky sites, and often on talus
slopes.  It occurs at mid- to upper elevations in mountains (7,590 to
10,560 feet [2,300-3,200 m]) [3,4,5].

Mid- to high elevation sites in the Santa Rosa and Toiyabe ranges in
Nevada are occupied by scattered limber pine (Pinus flexis) and
pinyon-juniper woodlands at the lower elevational limits of Cusick's
giant hyssop.  On Steens Mountain, Oregon, Cusick's giant hyssop may be
associated with western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), curlleaf
mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius), quaking aspen (Populus
tremuloides), or high-elevation sagebrush-grasslands [1].  In the Tendoy
Mountains, Montana, Cusick's giant hyssop is common on limestone talus
with mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and Indian ricegrass
(Oryzopsis hymenoides) [7].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Cusick's giant hyssop flowers from June to August [3,5].

FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Agastache cusickii



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Cusick's giant hyssop often inhabits talus slopes that are not generally
susceptible to fire.  It may sprout from the caudex following
disturbance.


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Caudex, growing points in soil

FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Agastache cusickii



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Specific information on the effect of fire on Cusick's giant hyssop is
not available in the literature.  However, aboveground parts of
nettleleaf giant hyssop (Agastache urticfolia) were completely consumed
by late summer and fall fires in the Great Basin Rate of Spread Study,
which was conducted in Nevada [13].
 


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Specific information on the response of Cusick's giant hyssop to fire is
not available in the literature.  Nettleleaf giant hyssop sprouted in
the first postfire year following late summer and fall fires in Nevada
[13].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
NO-ENTRY


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

REFERENCES
SPECIES: Agastache cusickii



REFERENCES : 

 .  Arno, Stephen F.; Hammerly, Ramona P. 1984. Timberline: Mountain and
       arctic forest frontiers. Seattle, WA: The Mountaineers. 304 p.  [339]

 .  Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
       reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
       associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
       U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. 
       [434]

 .  Cronquist, Arthur; Holmgren, Arthur H.; Holmgren, Noel H.; [and others].
       1984. Intermountain flora: Vascular plants of the Intermountain West,
       U.S.A. Vol. 4. Subclass Asteridae, (except Asteraceae). New York: The
       New York Botanical Garden. 573 p.  [718]

 .  Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1973. Flora of the Pacific
       Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 730 p.  [1168]

 .  Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur; Ownbey, Marion. 1959. Vascular
       plants of the Pacific Northwest. Part 4: Ericaceae through
       Campanulaceae. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 510 p. 
       [1170]

 .  Kartesz, John T.; Kartesz, Rosemarie. 1980. A synonymized checklist of
       the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Volume
       II: The biota of North America. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North
       Carolina Press; in confederation with Anne H. Lindsey and C. Richie
       Bell, North Carolina Botanical Garden. 500 p.  [6954]

 .  Lesica, P., et. al. 1986. Noteworthy collections:  Montana. Madrono. 33:
       310-312.  [21744]

 .  Lesica, Peter; Shelly, J. Stephen. 1991. Sensitive, threatened and
       endangered vascular plants of Montana. Occasional Publication No. 1.
       Helena, MT: Montana Natural Heritage Program. 88 p.  [20964]

 .  Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
       geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p.  [2843]

.  Schlatterer, Edward F. 1972. A preliminary description of plant
       communities found on the Sawtooth, White Cloud, Boulder and Pioneer
       Mountains. Unpublished report. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of
       Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Region. 111 p.  [2076]

.  Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
       Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
       Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
       Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p.  [20090]

.  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
       National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
       SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p.  [11573]

.  Range, Phil; Veisze, Paul; Beyer, Cheryl; Zschaechner, Greg. 1982. Great
       Basin rate-of-spread study: Fire behavior/fire effects. Reno, Nevada:
       U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Nevada State
       Office, Branch of Protection. 56 p.  [1935]