Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Blitum capitatum subsp. capitatum [Blitum capitatum] [Chenopodium capitatum]
Family
Amaranthaceae
CommonName
strawberry blite
Presence
yes
Status
native
EarliestDate
1900
LatestDate
2014
Ecosystem
montane
Geobotanical
SSawatch, SSanjuans, NCristos
Counties
Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache
Passes
WildlifePreserves
Great Sand Dunes
Other Localities
Comments
Compared to Blitum capitatum subsp. hastatum, Blitum capitatum subsp. capitatum has larger glomerules and tepals red and fleshy at maturity. Specimens determined as the variety or subspecies capitatum have been found on both sides of the Valley: e.g., near the Gray-Back mining camp and on Sangre de Cristo Creek (Costilla Co, 1900), by Rock Creek west of Monte Vista (Rio Grande Co, 1939), in the Great Sand Dunes NP (Alamosa Co, 1973), on the east fork of the Chama River (Conejos Co, 1988), and by Pool Table road (Saguache Co, 2014, photorecord). There are no records from the Culebras but the species probably occurs there, judging from New Mexico records. Blitum capitatum is common in the western states of the USA, and across the states bordering Canada. The subspecies capitatum follows the Rio Grande drainage only into the northern mountains of New Mexico but no farther. Note that some authorities (e.g., Ackerfield 2022) treat these subspecies or varieties as species: Blitum capitatum and Blitum hastatum. Both are found in the Watershed.