POLLEN AND MACROFLORAL ANALYSES AT ABIQUIU RESERVOIR, NEW MEXICO

Pollen and macrofloral analysis was undertaken at four sites in the
Abiquiu Reservoir Multiple Resource Area in north-central New Mexico. The
vegetation in the Abiquiu area varies from short-grass prairie to
pinyon/juniper woodland, depending largely on elevation, slope exposure, and
soils. Common vegetation within this area includes Pinus edulis (pinyon
pine), Juniperus monosperma (one-seeded juniper), Graminae (grasses),
Gutierrezia sarothrae (snakeweed), Chrysothamnus nauseosus (rabbitbrush),
Atriplex canascens (four-wing saltbush), Xanthium sacaratum (cockle-bur),
Artemisia spp. (sagebrush), Lupinus aduncus (lupine), Helianthus spp.
(sunflower), Yucca glauca (yucca), and Opuntia spp. (prickly pear cactus).
The major source of water for the area is the Rio Chama, which has its
headwaters in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. Smaller,
ephemeral drainages are noted in arroyos closer to the archaeological sites
studied here.