Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Dieteria canescens [Machaeranthera canescens] [Machaeranthera viscosa] [Machaeranthera linearis] [Aster canescens] etc.
Family
Asteraceae
CommonName
hoary false tansyaster, sand daisy
Presence
YES
Status
native
EarliestDate
1930
LatestDate
2024
Ecosystem
basin, shrubland, foothill, montane, ruderal, urban
Geobotanical
SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos, UBasin, LBasin
Counties
Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache
Passes
La Veta, Medano
WildlifePreserves
Baca, Great Sand Dunes, Russell Lakes
Other Localities
Alamosa (town), Del Norte
Comments
Dieteria canescens is generally found at lower elevations than D. bigelovii, but in the Watershed the distributions do overlap. In the Watershed the two species often hybridize, making determination inconclusive with some specimens. The most reliable key character is width of largest stem leaf: D. canescens 5 mm or less, D. bigelovii 5 mm or more. Another useful trait is presence of stipulate-glandular hairs on the peduncle with D. bigelovii and lack of them with D. canescens. But these distinctions do not always hold. (For a valuable exploration of the differences, see A. Schneider, 2001-current.) D. canescens is abundantly variable. POWO recognizes four varieties in Colorado: ambigua, canescens, aristata, and glabra. The last three have been recorded from the Watershed (as well as from New Mexico). In the Watershed, the species is present on both sides of the Valley, from the Basin up into the montane. It is found in every USA state west of the Great Plains, and follows the Rio Grande drainage through New Mexico to far west Texas.