Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Euphorbia marginata [Dichrophyllum marginatum] [Lepadinia marginata]
Family
Euphorbiaceae
CommonName
snow-on-the-mountain
Presence
YES
Status
native
EarliestDate
1998
LatestDate
2021
Ecosystem
montane, ruderal
Geobotanical
SSanjuans, NCristos
Counties
Costilla, Rio Grande
Passes
WildlifePreserves
Other Localities
Comments
For snow-on-the-mountain there are two Watershed vouchers, both along highways: Rio Grande Co, Hwy 149, ca 2.5 air mi N of South Fork (2003); Costilla Co, by Hwy 160, near La Veta pass (1998). An iNaturalist photorecord adds a third occurrence, from around the Shrine of the Stations of the Cross in San Luis (Costilla Co, 2021). In the USA, Euphorbia marginata is predominantly a Plains plant, perhaps adventive elsewhere, and so possibly ephemeral in the Watershed. Yet Wyoming, Montana, Colorado New Mexico all show a few records from their higher-elevation western regions. There are scattered records following the Rio Grande drainage through New Mexico and down past the Big Bend country of Texas. Incidentally, although in some parts of the USA it is considered "invasive," it is a native plant. The term "noxious," however, does accurately apply to E. marginata, since contact with it does irritate the skin and eyes of some people. Certainly don't eat it.