Single Record

Species: Mertensia fusiformis [Mertensia oblongifolia] [Mertensia ovata var. ovata]

Comments: So determined, Mertensia fusiformis has been vouchered from three Watershed counties, all on the west side of the Valley: Conejos Co (Cumbres pass 1925 and 1935, southeast of La Manga Peak 1985, and near Mogote cpgd 1986); Mineral Co (Deep Creek trail S of Creede 2004, East Willow Creek near Creede 2004, and La Garita Creek NNE of Creede 2004); and Rio Grande Co (Church Creek near South Fork 1984). All of these specimens were determined before Nazaire and Hufford's revision of Mertensia (2014), and the extent of the presence of the species in the Watershed remains largely unknown until vouchers are re-examined. In the past "Mertensia oblongifolia" has been the name used by many collectors and determiners, and no doubt the species has a much more extensive presence in the Watershed, including passes other than Cumbres: Stony, Wolf Creek, Slumgullion, and Poncha. The species is treated as M. oblongifolia by BONAP and SEINet), but M. fusiformis is the name preferred by Nazaire and Hufford. By whatever name, the species is common in the Rocky Mountains, with the Watershed apparently marking the extent of its southeastern range.