Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Saxifraga austromontana [Saxifraga bronchialis]
Family
Saxifragaceae
CommonName
matted saxifrage, spotted saxifrage
Presence
YES
Status
native
EarliestDate
1922
LatestDate
2024
Ecosystem
montane, subalpine, tundra
Geobotanical
SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos
Counties
Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan
Passes
Elwood, Medano, Music, Wolf Creek
WildlifePreserves
Other Localities
Comments
Spotted saxifrage has been recorded from all mountain regions of the Watershed, from the montane into the alpine. Judging from many New Mexico records (which follow the Rio Grande drainage nearly to the border with Mexico), it is present in the Culebras, just not yet collected there. The flower likes shady rock ledges, although it can also be found in wet tundra meadows. Its USA distribution is the Rockies and the Cascades. Note that experts disagree on the name for this taxon. Some say Saxifraga bronchialis (POWO, iNaturalist), some Saxifraga bronchialis subsp. austromontana (FNA), some Saxifraga bronchialis (BONAP). By whatever, the species stubbornly remains one of the most photogenic of alpine wildflowers.