Single Record

PhotoRecords: YES Rich Haswell: Saguache Co, Russell Lakes SWP 10 July 2016; Conejos Co, bank of the Rio Grande at Hwy 142, 28 Sept 2021

Comments: There are four vouchers of Xanthium strumarium from the town of Alamosa, in the floodplain of the Rio Grande (1976-1992). Also from the floodplain of the Rio Grande is a photorecord (2021) at the crossing of Hwy 142, on the Conejos Co side of the river. A 2016 photorecord from Russell Lakes and a 2019 one from the Sand Dunes (iNaturalist observation 21524257) would add Saguache to Watershed counties indicated in Ackerfield (2022) and BONAP (2022). The latest observations are from the Alamosa NWP (2022, iNaturalist observation #138468167) and Sego Spring SWA (2024, iNaturalist observation #240075471). So the recent occurrences show that is native cocklebur is more wide spread in the Watershed than the herbsrium records show. Probably it always has been. In 1875 Brandegee mentions the plant as growing on the east side of the Valley. It is recorded from the great majority of counties all across the USA—native to the West and adventive to the East—and follows the Rio Grande drainage to the Gulf of Mexico. Note that the USA-native status of this taxon is disputed by some authorities (e.g., POWO). For more photos and comment, click "yes" in the Annotation field below.