Single Record

Participant Info

Species
Lepidium chalepense [Lepidium chalepensis] [Cardaria chalepensis] [Lepidium draba subsp. chalepensis]
Family
Brassicaceae
CommonName
lenspod whitetop
Presence
Yes
Status
exotic
EarliestDate
1929
LatestDate
2024
Ecosystem
shrubland, ruderal
Geobotanical
UBasin, LBasin
Counties
Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Rio Grande, Saguache
Passes
WildlifePreserves
Baca
Other Localities
Alamosa (town)
Comments
Lenspod whitetop is exotic, ruderal, and with a propensity toward sandy soil, abandoned fields, grassy meadows, and road and street sides. In the Watershed it has been recorded occasionally from the Upper and Lower Basins (usually under the name "Cardaria chalapensis"), since 1929. Ackerfield shows Mineral Co, with no vouchers in SEINet. A recent photorecord is within the town limits of Alamosa (2023, iNaturalist observation #177923294). Also from that town, along side its main street, is a more recent photorecord (6 Aug 2024). This import from Asia is present in all USA states west of the Great Plains, with scattered records eastward. It is present in the Rio Grande drainage in the northern third of New Mexico, no farther south. Note that the globose fruit shrinks when the plant reaches the end of its maturity, making separation from Lepidium draba difficult.