Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Rheum rhabarbarum
Family
Polygonaceae
CommonName
rhubarb
Presence
yes
Status
exotic, escaped
EarliestDate
2003
LatestDate
2003
Ecosystem
montane
Geobotanical
SSanjuans
Counties
Alamosa, Mineral
Passes
WildlifePreserves
Other Localities
Alamosa (town)
Comments
Domestic rhubarb, Rheum rhabarbarum, sometimes escapes, or continues thriving after a homestead is abandoned. For instance it (along with turnips) was commonly planted by early settlers in the upper Rio Grande upriver from South Fork, since it survived the harsh winters (LaFont, 1971). Yet there is only one record from the Watershed, found in 2003 by Fuchs Reservoir, 15 air miles SW of Creede at ± 11,480' elevation. BONAP shows scattered observations around the northern half of the USA, but none farther down the Rio Grande watershed.