Participant Info

Species

Artemisia biennis

Family

Asteraceae

CommonName

biennial wormwood

Presence

Yes

Status

exotic, adventive

EarliestDate

1930

LatestDate

2024

Ecosystem

shrubland, foothill, montane, ruderal, sanddunes

Geobotanical

SSanjuans, NCristos, UBasin

Counties

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

Passes

La Veta

WildlifePreserves

Baca, Russell Lakes

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

YES Rich Haswell: Saguache Co, Russell Lakes SWA, 8 Sept 2017; Rio Grande Co, dryig edge of Beaver Creek Reservoir 2 Sept 2020

Comments

In the Watershed, for biennial wormwood, there are only seven or eight records, very scattered. A recent iNaturalist photorecord shows it at the top of Pinyon Hills High Point, ESE of Romeo (Conejos Co, 2024, iNaturalist observation #187928414). The species is also uncommon in New Mexico, where it has a presence in the counties bordering Colorado. Experts differ on the status of the plant. FNA argues that it is native to the USA Northwest and adventive elsewhere (including the Watershed). It adapts to disturbed ground and can be a agricultural pest, although there is little evidence of that in the Valley. Artemisia biennis is now spread all around the USA except for Texas and the South.

Annotation