| Gutierrezia elegans | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Gutierrezia |
| Species: |
G. elegans
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| Binomial name | |
| Gutierrezia elegans Al Schneid. & P.Lyon | |
Gutierrezia elegans, the Lone Mesa snakeweed, is a species of Gutierrezia endemic to the United States.
Gutierrezia elegans was discovered by Peggy Lyon, a Colorado State University botanist, and Al Schneider, an amateur botanist of the Four Corners area, August 4, 2008.[1] Lyon and Schneider found the plant while they were putting together a list of plant species in Lone Mesa State ParkinColorado. Peggy said that they would have missed noticing the plant if they were only looking for known rare plants.[2] They sent the specimentoGuy Nesom, a plant expert. Guy and other experts examined the plant and agreed that it was a previously undiscovered species of Gutierrezia. Tim Hogan, an employee of the University of Colorado Herbarium, said that the discovery shows us how little we know about biodiversity.[1]
The Lone Mesa snakeweed was the sixth new plant discovered in Colorado in roughly 15 years.[2]
| Gutierrezia elegans |
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