There is a relationship between ecological factors associated with the vegetation and soil developed on or influence by calcareous parent material in alpine areas in Montana. The related kinds of vegetation and soils on the three research areas form a sequence of progressively more complex stand-types correlated with the more diverse parent material. The Dryas stand-type is the most characteristic on the calcareous alpine areas in Montana. A number of plant species are found associated in this stand-type. The ecology and species present in northern Montana resemble those described for Alaska, Greenland, and Scandinavia.
