Single Record
Participant Info
- Species
- Cirsium funkiae [Cirsium scopulorum]
- Family
- Asteraceae
- CommonName
- no name as yet
- Presence
- yes
- Status
- native
- EarliestDate
- 1987
- LatestDate
- 2014
- Ecosystem
- subalpine, tundra
- Geobotanical
- Garitas, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos
- Counties
- Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache
- Passes
- Cumbres, Grayback
- WildlifePreserves
- Wheeler
- Other Localities
- PhotoRecords
- YES Rich Haswell: Rio Grande Co, San Francisco Lakes 13 Aug 2008; peak of Grayback Mountain 21 Aug 2014
- Comments
- This thistle from the Watershed was newly named for science by Jennifer Ackerfield (Ackerfield 2022). Often standing like sentinels on high alpine passes and bleak rocky ridges, with nodding flower heads, Cirsium funkiae is distinguished from C. scopulorum by style branches that are yellowish rather than white, pink, or pale purple (note that Ackerfield backs the color differences with genetic analysis). Ackeerfield "Hiding" 2022 and Flora of Colorado 2022 show a Watershed distribution confined to the Christos. But presence also in the San Juans is well documented, from Saguache Co (Stewart Peak, 1987, Ken Heil coll); Rio Grande Co (Fuchs Reservoir, 2013, Haswell photorecord; Grayback Mountain, 2014, Haswell photorecord; Bennett Peak, 2014, Haswell 2014); and Conejos Co (just east of the Continental Divide and north of Trail Lake, 2013, Sharples coll). In Colorado the species extends farther north in the ranges on the east and west of the Arkansas River. Whether any vouchers named "Cirsium scopulorum" from the New Mexico Cristos are C. funkiae remains to be seen. Note that BONAP and FNA have not yet recognized C. funkiae.
- Annotation