Geranium dodecatheoides

Geranium dodecatheoides is a perennial herb of the southwestern United States that is endemic to Lincoln County, New Mexico and found at two occurrences: in the White Mountains and Capitan Mountains. Nearly all plants, numbering in the thousands, are found in one extensive occurrence in the Capitan Mountains. Threats may include non-native plants that are introduced through post fire seed mixes, and other fire impacts such as post fire erosion and canopy changes.

Geranium dodecatheoides occurs in the southwestern United States where it is endemic to Lincoln County, New Mexico. It occurs in the Three Rivers Canyon of the Sierra Blanca and Capitan Mountains (Aedoa and Alexander 2011, NatureServe Network 2023, SEINet 2023).

There are two or potentially three occurrences. There are large areas of suitable habitat that have nearly continuous sites known throughout. Existing gaps are likely due to survey coverage rather than absence of plants (P. Alexander 2023, NatureServe Network Data 2023, iNaturalist 2023, SEINet 2023).

Threats are largely unknown. One site is along a roadside where road maintenance could negatively impact the species. Competitive non-native plant species are a potential threat; post-fire seeding mixes are sometimes contaminated with non-native species. Psathyrostachys juncea was introduced in post fire seeding mixes following the Peppin Fire in 2004 and as of 2014 was the dominant herbaceous plant in most of the burned areas (P. Alexander, pers comm., 2023). Erosion of barren substrates and low canopy cover post-fire are potential threats but more information about the species' tolerance of disturbance and lack of shade (Nygren 2021). Surveys in 2021, following the Three River Fire the same year, confirmed regrowth of plants at three known sites, two of which were severely burned (Nygren 2021), suggesting this species has some tolerance of fire. However, additional research is needed to determine the species response over longer periods of time (Nygren 2021).