Participant Info

Species

Elymus violaceus [Elymus trachycaulus subsp. violaceus] [Elymus alaskanus]

Family

Poaceae

CommonName

Arctic wheatgrass

Presence

maybe

Status

native

EarliestDate

1884?

LatestDate

?

Ecosystem

subalpine

Geobotanical

SSanjuans, NCristos

Counties

Costilla, Rio Grande

Passes

WildlifePreserves

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

Comments

NEED IN SITU PHOTOS. The evidence for the presence of Arctic wheatgrass in the Watershed is tenuous and difficult to interpret. In 1884 and 1896, vouchers were determined as Elymus violaceus from Costilla Co, with further location not specified. Neither Shaw (2008) or Ackerfield (2022) accept these vouchers. But Ackerfield (2022) indicates Rio Grande Co for E. violaceus, a county not shown in either Shaw or BONAP (2025, under the name "Elymnus alaskanus"). Note that Shaw (2008) accepts both E. violaceus and E. trachycaulus as separate and legitimate species. Allred et a. (2020) treats E. violaceus as a subspecies of E. trachycaulus. POWO (2025) treats E. trachycaulus as a synonym for E. violaceus. BONAP (2025) treats E. violaceus as E. alaskanus. FNA (2025), perhaps wisely, says that "until more is known about the extent and genetic basis of the variation in and among E. violaceus, E. alaskanus, and E. trachycaulus, formal taxonomic recognition seems inappropriate."

Annotation