Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Agastache cusickii
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:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/agacus/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
AGACUS
SYNONYMS :
Agastache cusickii Heller
Lophanthus cusickii Greenman
NRCS PLANT CODE :
AGCU
COMMON NAMES :
Cusick's giant hyssop
giant hyssop
horse-mint
Cusick horse-mint
TAXONOMY :
The scientific name of Cusick's giant hyssop is Agastache cusickii (Greenman)
Heller (Lamiaceae). Agastache cusickii var. cusickii and Agastache cusickii
var. parva Cronquist are recognized infrataxa [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 :
K024 Juniper steppe woodlands
K052 Alpine meadows and barren
K055 Sagebrush steppe
SAF COVER TYPES :
217 Aspen
219 Limber pine
238 Western juniper
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
107 Western juniper/big sagebrush/bluebunch wheatgrass
108 Alpine Idaho fescue
315 Big sagebrush-Idaho fescue
316 Big sagebrush-rough fescue
322 Curlleaf mountain-mahogany-bluebunch wheatgrass
401 Basin big sagebrush
402 Mountain big sagebrush
410 Alpine rangeland
411 Aspen woodland
415 Curlleaf mountain-mahogany
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Mid- to high elevation sites in the Santa Rosa and Toiyabe ranges in
Nevada are occupied by scattered limber pine (Pinus flexilis) 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
(Achnatherum hymenoides) [7].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Agastache cusickii
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
No information was available on this topic.
PALATABILITY :
No information was available on this topic.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
No information was available on this topic.
COVER VALUE :
No information was available on this topic.
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
No information was available on this topic.
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
No information was available on this topic.
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
No information was available on this topic.
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 information was available on this topic. Cusick's giant hyssop likely
sprouts from the caudex and establishes from seed.
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].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
No information was available on this topic.
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.
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
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 information was available on this topic.
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 information was available on this topic.
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
No information was available on this topic.
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Agastache cusickii
REFERENCES :
1. Arno, Stephen F.; Hammerly, Ramona P. 1984. Timberline: Mountain and
arctic forest frontiers. Seattle, WA: The Mountaineers. 304 p. [339]
2. 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]
3. 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]
4. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1973. Flora of the Pacific
Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 730 p. [1168]
5. 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]
6. 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]
7. Lesica, P., et. al. 1986. Noteworthy collections: Montana. Madrono. 33:
310-312. [21744]
8. 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]
9. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
10. 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]
11. 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]
12. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service. 1982.
National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
13. 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]
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