I was looking for a rare or endangered species this month that I could personally track down. Thanks to the NM Rare Plants website, one can search their online collection by county. As I was poking around in Bernalillo, Valencia, and Sandoval, I came across the Gypsum Townsend's aster, Townsendia gypsophila Lowrey & P. Knight, which flowers April to October. Time to pack up the bike for a trip to the White Ridge Mountain Bike Area near San Ysidro.

The authorities are Timothy K. Lowrey (Curator of the UNM Herbarium) and Paul J. Knight (botanist for the State of NM for whom Astragalus knightii is named). Speaking of which, A. knightii might be blooming out on Mesa Prieta right now. Hmm? Another mountain bike–botany expedition?

Back to our aster, this little beauty is found only in Sandoval County in a narrow band along the western margin of the Nacimiento Mountains stopping short of Cuba. Somehow it gets by on weathered gypsum outcrops. The largest populations occur on highly gypsiferous soils rather than pure gypsum. This is a very narrowly distributed endemic that is moderately abundant to scattered on gypsum or highly gypseous soils. It shares the gypsum habitats with two other gypsophilic species, Phacelia sivinskii and Mentzelia todiltoensis. It has never been observed on a non-gypseous substrate, hence the choice of the specific epithet.

Because the White Mesa gypsum beds are being actively strip-mined for the manufacture of wallboard, there is some concern about populations in that area. Populations along the White Mesa Bike Trail are threatened by recreational biking. Be careful to stay on the trails when you're out that way.

The Type Location