Participant Info

Species

Symphyotrichum spathulatum [Aster spathulatus] [Aster corymbiformis] [Aster fremontii] [Aster occidentalis]

Family

Asteraceae

CommonName

western mountain aster

Presence

YES

Status

native

EarliestDate

1936

LatestDate

2021

Ecosystem

foothill, montane

Geobotanical

Garitas, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos

Counties

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

Passes

Wolf Creek

WildlifePreserves

Other Localities

PhotoRecords

YES Rich Haswell: Mineral Co, Tucker Ponds, forest opening by pond 10 Sept 2021

Comments

Ackerfield qualifies Symphyotrichum spathulatum as “infrequent” in Colorado, but Watershed collections are fairly common, from montane meadows on both sides of the Valley. BONAP shows the species for Rio Arriba and Taos counties in New Mexico, but not farther down the Rio Grande drainage. Watershed occurrences mark the SW corner of the USA distribution, which covers all Western states. Note the difficulties in identification since S. spathulatum hybridizes with S. foliaceum.

Annotation