Besseya (wyomingensis)

Tara Luna USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana 59936 (406) 888-7835 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

---

Family Scientific Name:	Scrophulariaceae
Family Common Name:	Figwort family
Scientific Name:	Besseya wyomingensis (Nels.) Rydb.
Common Synonym:	Besseya cinerea (Raf.) Pennell
Common Name:	Wyoming kittentails
Species Code:	BESWYO
Ecotype:	Alpine fellfield, scree, Scenic Point, Glacier National Park, Glacier Co., MT., 7000' elevation.
General Distribution:	B. wyomingensis occurs on open slopes from the foothills to high elevations, high plains and drier mountains; from Alberta and Montana west to eastern Idaho, east to South Dakota and Nebraska.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	160 ml conetainer
Time To Grow:	2 Years
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling.<br> Height: 3 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in conetainer.
Propagule Collection:	Collect mature capsules in August at higher elevations when they begin to split and turn tan in color. Seeds are red-brown at maturity. Capsules are collected in paper bags and kept in a well ventilated drying shed rior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds are hand cleaned at the nursery. Seed longevity is unknown. Seed dormancy is classified as physiological dormancy. Seeds/Kg: unknown. % Purity: 100% % Germination: 14%
Pre-Planting Treatments:	5 month outdoor cold, moist stratification. A 60 to 90 day cold, moist stratification results in good germination percentages.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Outdoor nursery growing facility. Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are lightly covered with medium. Growing medium used is 6:1:1 milled sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite with Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S, 0.1%B, 0.5%Cu, 12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per 172 ml conetainer. Conetainers are filled and sown in late fall and irrigated thoroughly prior to winter stratification. Seedlings germinate in spring under fluctuating outdoor temperatures and are grown under full sun exposure. Seedlings are irrigated with Rainbird automatic irrigation system in early morning until containers are thoroughly leached. Average growing season of nursery is from late April after snowmelt until October 15th.
Establishment Phase:	Medium is kept slightly moist during germination. True leaves emerge by 3 weeks.
Length of Establishment Phase:	4 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Root development occurs rapidly following germination. Only 2 true leaves emerged during the first growing season.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	8 weeks
Hardening Phase:	This species is a cool season perennial that becomes dormant by mid-August.
Length of Hardening Phase:	none
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time To Harvest: 2 years. Harvest Date: September of the 2nd year. Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	This species produces a well-branched primary root. Root tight containerized plants were not obtained the first growing season.
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, 7th edition, University of Washington Press, 1973.<> Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, Hassell, Wendel, U.S.D.I. and U.S.D.A., April 1996. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, Deno, Norman, Penn State University, 1993. Glacier National Park Native Plant Nursery Propagation Records, unpublished.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Besseya wyomingensis (Nels.) Rydb. plants 160 ml conetainer; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/11). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.