Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Hesperostipa comata [Stipa comata]
Family
Poaceae
CommonName
needle-and-thread grass
Presence
yes
Status
native
EarliestDate
1896
LatestDate
2015
Ecosystem
basin, shrubland, foothill, montane
Geobotanical
SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos, UBasin, LBasin
Counties
Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Rio Grande, Saguache, Archuleta
Passes
La Veta
WildlifePreserves
Baca, Coller, Great Sand Dunes, Hot Creek
Other Localities
Comments
NEED IN SITU PHOTOS. Needle-and-thread grass is common in foothill and montane slopes and open woods of the Watershed, and has been vouchered many times from both east and west ranges of the Valley. it is important forage for wildlife. The long curly awns make this grass easy to recognize. The USA distribution is all Western states (but not the west slopes of the Pacific mountain ranges), and most of the Great Plains, with a scattering of locations around the Great Lakes. Hesperostipa comata follows the Rio Grande drainage through New Mexico and on down Texas to just past the Big Bend region.