Introduction 



This Checklist provides a summary of vascular plant taxa from the Southern Rocky Mountain 

 Region (SRMR) with selected synonymy. The selected nomenclature is intended to reflect 

 phylogenetic (evolutionary) relationships as they are currently understood, given that such 

 relationships are the basis for biological classifications. It is understood that nomenclatural 

 changes are not always warmly embraced. Some changes were premature (including in previous 

 versions of the Checklist), and there will be more changes. However, a relative slowdown of 

 changes at the familial and generic levels is likely given the flurry of molecular studies over the 

 past 25 years. 



As defined here, the SRMR includes nine counties in southern and eastern Wyoming (Albany, 

 Carbon, Converse, Goshen, Laramie, Niobrara, Natrona, Platte, Sweetwater), all of Colorado, 

 and ten counties from northcentral and northeastern New Mexico (Colfax, Harding, Los Alamos, 

 Mora, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Taos, Union). It also includes the northern 

 half of Quay County (north of Interstate 40), New Mexico. The inclusion of three additional 

 New Mexico counties (Harding, Union, part of Quay) compared to the first iteration of the 

 Checklist (Snow04) reflects their high degree of floristic similarity with adjacent high plains 

 counties to the north in Colorado (Schiebout08) and relative lack of taxa more typical of the 

 Chihuahuan Desert flora, which becomes increasingly prominent south of Interstate 40. The 

 9,600+ specimens collected for a recent thesis (Schiebout08) in nordieast NM and the ongoing 

 work of Hazlett et al. (in prep.) on the Kiowa National Grassland (specimens mostly at GREE) 

 provided adequate material to incorporate these counties into a slightly expanded concept of the 

 SRMR. 



The Checklist relied heavily (see Acknowledgments) on input from numerous specialists and 

 recent publications such as Flora of North America. Intermountain Flora. Vascular Plants of 

 Wyoming (DornOl), and A Utah Flora (Welsh03). Nomenclature for ferns, fern allies, and 

 gymnosperms generally follows Flora of North America Vol. 2, although more recent 

 classifications exist for ferns (e.g., Goffinet04). 



Familial treatments for angiosperms mostly mirror the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II (APG II) 

 classification. The adoption of APG II by five plant systematics textbooks or something similar 

 (Zomlefer94; Judd07; Sprichiger04; Simpson06; Heywood07) reflects the degree to which APG 

 II has been accepted by professional taxonomists. The retention of clearly outdated familial 

 (e.g., Caprifoliaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Liliaceae s.l.) or generic concepts (e.g., 

 Aster, Senecio, Stipa) is indefensible. Where data are equivocal or unconvincing regarding the 

 monophyly of certain genera I have taken the broader generic concept (e.g., Elymus). In 

 situations where Bremer, bootstrap or posterior probability support indices of clades are high 

 there has been no hesitation in reducing some genera to synonymy (e.g., Buchloe into 

 Bouteloua). 



Widespread adoption of the nomenclature proposed here for the SMRM would align us with 

 other regions and put us ahead of others. None of our larger institutions indie SMRM, towards 

 which people look for scientific leadership, have updated their familial arrangements 

 significantly since the publication of APG II. Further delays in updating familial organization in 

 major herbaria should not be put off indefinitely. Although new or different names may be 



3 



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