Burke: Eriogonum deserticola vs. Eriogonum niveum

	Eriogonum deserticola	Eriogonum niveum
		snow buckwheat
Habit		Freely-branched perennial with a woody base, occasionally prostrate, but usually erect, the many branches forming a clump up to 4 dm. tall and wide.
Leaves		Leaves tufted, mostly basal, 1.5-6 cm. long, the blade oblong-ovate to broadly lanceolate, about the same length as the petiole, densely gray-woolly on both sides.
Flowers		Flowering stems are several times di- or trichotomously branched, forming a large inflorescence that is gray-woolly throughout. Involucres 3-4 mm. long, conic, usually with 3 erect teeth, borne singly throughout the inflorescence and subtended by a pair of leafy bracts. Tepals 6, cream to pink, 3-4 mm. long, the outer segments oblong and twice as broad as the inner segments.
Fruits		3-angled achene

	Eriogonum deserticola	Eriogonum niveum
Identification notes		The leafy bracts below the flowers throughout the inflorescence separates E. niveum from the similar E. strictum, which has no leafy bracts.
Flowering time		June-September
Habitat		Sagebrush desert, dry ponderosa pine forest openings, in deep or sandy soil.
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east to Idaho. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin		Native
Conservation status		Not of concern
Sibling taxa	E. baileyi, E. cernuum, E. codium, E. compositum, E. douglasii, E. elatum, E. flavum, E. heracleoides, E. maculatum, E. marifolium, E. microtheca, E. niveum, E. nudum, E. ovalifolium, E. pyrolifolium, E. sphaerocephalum, E. strictum, E. thymoides, E. umbellatum, E. vimineum	E. baileyi, E. cernuum, E. codium, E. compositum, E. douglasii, E. elatum, E. flavum, E. heracleoides, E. maculatum, E. marifolium, E. microtheca, E. nudum, E. ovalifolium, E. pyrolifolium, E. sphaerocephalum, E. strictum, E. thymoides, E. umbellatum, E. vimineum
Web links	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Eriogonum deserticola

Eriogonum niveum

snow buckwheat

Habit

Freely-branched perennial with a woody base, occasionally prostrate, but usually erect, the many branches forming a clump up to 4 dm. tall and wide.

Leaves

Leaves tufted, mostly basal, 1.5-6 cm. long, the blade oblong-ovate to broadly lanceolate, about the same length as the petiole, densely gray-woolly on both sides.

Flowers

Flowering stems are several times di- or trichotomously branched, forming a large inflorescence that is gray-woolly throughout. Involucres 3-4 mm. long, conic, usually with 3 erect teeth, borne singly throughout the inflorescence and subtended by a pair of leafy bracts. Tepals 6, cream to pink, 3-4 mm. long, the outer segments oblong and twice as broad as the inner segments.

Fruits

3-angled achene