Participant Info

Species

Valeriana occidentalis

Family

Caprifoliaceae [Valerianaceae]

CommonName

western valerian

Presence

YES

Status

native

EarliestDate

1922

LatestDate

2019

Ecosystem

montane, subalpine, tundra

Geobotanical

SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos

Counties

Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache

Passes

Mosca, Wolf Creek

WildlifePreserves

Big Meadows Reservoir

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

YES Rich Haswell: Mineral Co, Tucker Ponds 23 July 2019

Comments

Less often collected than Valeriana edulis, V. occidentalis is usually found alongside streams, but has been observed in dry meadows and forest openings. It is not recorded from the Culebras, but there is one occurrence from the very southern end of the Cristos in New Mexico near Santa Fe. The Rio Grande drainage in Colorado and New Mexico mark the southeastern edge of this valerian's USA distribution. It follows the Rio Grande drainage only as far as Santa Fe Co, New Mexico.

Annotation