Participant Info

Species

Gutierrezia sarothrae [Xanthocephalum sarothrae]

Family

Asteraceae

CommonName

broom snakeweed, snakebroom, escoba de la vibora

Presence

YES

Status

native

EarliestDate

1921

LatestDate

2020

Ecosystem

basin, foothill, ruderal, urban

Geobotanical

SSawatch, Garitas, SSanjuans, NCristos, UBasin, LBasin

Counties

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

Passes

Carnero

WildlifePreserves

Great Sand Dunes

Other Localities

La Botica, Del Norte

PhotoRecords

Yes: Rich Haswell: Alamoss Co, Great Sand Dunes NP 18 Aug 2013; Rio Grande Co, Lookout Mt by Del Norte 31 Aug 2020

Comments

Broom snakeweed is a common foothill plant on both sides of the Valley. Gutierrezia sarothrae is not normally a Basin or montane plant, preferring dry, open terrain. In the USA it is by far the most wide spread of snakeweeds, present in nearly every county of Colorado and every state from the western Great Plains to the Pacific. It follows the Rio Grande drainage from its headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico. Native Americans and Hispanics used to make a medicinal tea for arthritic pains. The branches were also bundled to make brooms (hence theSpanish name, escoba de la víbora, snake broom).

Annotation