Camelina in Colorado

Several species of Camelina occur as weeds worldwide, but some climates are especially amenable. On a recent trip to Colorado I observed Camelina on many occasions: along field margins and park trails, but also growing among stands of other weeds. Something about the climate just east of the Rocky Mountains allows dense patches of Camelina to thrive. To me this makes sense because the warm and dry summers and rocky steppe-like terrain is very similar to that found in the Irano-Turanian floristic region in which Camelina is thought to have originated and diversified. In planning for future collection trips in the U.S., I will strongly consider Colorado as a location for surveying the genetic diversity of these fascinating weeds.