Single Record
Participant Info
- Species
- Agropyron cristatum [Agropyron cristatiforme] [Agropyron desertorum]
- Family
- Poaceae
- CommonName
- crested wheatgrass, crested wheat grass
- Presence
- yes
- Status
- exotic
- EarliestDate
- 1958
- LatestDate
- 2025
- Ecosystem
- basin, shrubland, foothill, montane, ruderal, urban, sanddunes
- Geobotanical
- Counties
- Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache
- Passes
- Poncha
- WildlifePreserves
- Baca, Great Sand Dunes
- Other Localities
- Alamosa (town)
- Comments
- Crested wheatgrass was imported into the USA in the early 1900s from Eurasia because of properties that are beneficial to farmers: roots strong, stands with longevity (up to 30 years), grain good for winter livestock and wildlife forage. It is sometimes planted around the perimeter of wheat fields where the soil is unstable, and it is used extensively for roadside restoration. Consequently, in the Watershed Agropyron cristatum has often been recorded throughout the Basin and, usually roadside, on up into the montane (e.g., just south of Creede (1993). The USA distribution agrees with the grass's preference for arid conditions, covering all Western states and the western half of the Great Plains. Observations follow the Rio Grande through New Mexico almost to the Mexican border, but no farther down stream.
- Annotation