Participant Info

Species

Lappula occidentalis [Lappula redowskii var. cupulata] [Lappula redowskii var. occidentalis] [Lappula occidentalis var. occidentalis] [Lappula occidentalis var. cupulata]

Family

Boraginaceae

CommonName

flatspine stickseed, stickweed, flatspine sheepbur, western stickseed

Presence

YES

Status

native

EarliestDate

1898

LatestDate

2021

Ecosystem

basin, shrubland, foothill, montane, ruderal, urban

Geobotanical

Garitas, SSanjuans, Culebras, NCristos, UBasin, LBasin

Counties

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

Passes

Cochetopa, La Veta

WildlifePreserves

Baca, Brown Lakes, Coller, Great Sand Dunes, Hot Creek, Mountain Home Reservoir, Rio Grande, Terrace Reservoir

Other Localities

Alamosa (town), La Botica, Del Norte

PhotoRecords

YES Rich Haswell: Rio Grande Co, Del Norte, business lot 2 May 2021

Comments

This stickweed is one of the most commonly occurring and commonly collected species of the Watershed. Lappula occidentalis ranges from basin to upper montane, preferring open, dry, rocky slopes. Although native, it is often found in disturbed ground both urban and rural. In the spring, old-timers habitually jerk out plants they run across, before the stickers develop. L. occidentalis is found in all states west of the Mississippi. It follows the Rio Grande drainage to within 50 miles of the Gulf of Mexico. The species is quite variable. It has two varieties, distinguished by the shape of the prickles on the nutlet: L. occidentalis var. occidentalis, and L. occidentalis var. cupulata. Note that some authorities still treat the Colorado species as Lappula redowskii.

Annotation