Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Nassella viridula [Stipa viridula]
Family
Poaceae
CommonName
green needlegrass
Presence
yes
Status
native
EarliestDate
1899
LatestDate
2004
Ecosystem
basin, foothill, montane, ruderal
Geobotanical
Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos, LBasin
Counties
Conejos, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache, Archuleta
Passes
Wolf Creek
WildlifePreserves
Other Localities
Comments
NEED IN SITU PHOTOS. 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 river southwest of La Jara (Conejos Co, 1931). Nassella viridula 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 base of the sheath to distinguish this species from Eriocoma lettermanii and E. nelsonii. The USA range of N. viridula 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.