Participant Info

Species

Festuca thurberi [Festuca tolucensis subsp. thurberi] [Poa festucoides]

Family

Poaceae

CommonName

Thurber's fescue

Presence

yes

Status

native

EarliestDate

1884

LatestDate

2023

Ecosystem

montane, subalpine, tundra

Geobotanical

SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos

Counties

Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan

Passes

Cumbres, Elwood, La Veta, North, Spring Creek, Stony, Wolf Creek

WildlifePreserves

Brown Lakes

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

Comments

NEED IN SITU PHOTOS. In the Watershed, Thurber's fescue can be the dominant fescue at high elevations, especially in the San Juan mountains. But Festuca thurberi has been vouchered, often, from all mountain regions of both sides of the Valley. It grows on tundra slopes and in woodland understory, particularly quaking aspen groves, where summered cattle consume it along with elk. The USA distribution is centered in western Colorado, eastern Utah, southern Wyoming, and New Mexico. The species follows the Rio Grande drainage through New Mexico to the Mexican border (and continues on down through north central Mexico), but there are no occurrences recorded for Texas.

Annotation