Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Nassella viridula [Stipa viridula]
Family
Poaceae
CommonName
green needlegrass
Presence
yes
Status
native
EarliestDate
1899
LatestDate
2025
Ecosystem
basin, foothill, montane, ruderal, urban
Geobotanical
Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos, LBasin
Counties
Conejos, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache, Archuleta
Passes
Wolf Creek
WildlifePreserves
Other Localities
La Botica, Del Norte
Comments
Green needlegrass has been recorded, sparingly, on both sides of the Watershed, but not in the South Sawatch range or the Culebras. The one basin occurrence was in the flood plain of a stream southwest of La Jara (Conejos Co, 1931). Nassella viridula, perennial and cool-weather, grows in a variety of habitats, from open slopes to open woods, stream sides to ruderal spaces such as reclaimed yards and road borders. Note that it takes close observation of the floret to distinguish this species from Eriocoma lettermanii and E. nelsonii. In Colorado, N. viridula is much more common on the Colorado plains than in the San Luis Valley. The USA range centers around the northern and central Rockies and northern Great Plains. The occurrences in the northern two counties of New Mexico mark the southernmost extent of that range, and the farthest down the Rio Grande drainage.