UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Eriogonum thymoides

Eriogonum compositum

thyme buckwheat, thyme-leaf wild buckwheat

arrow-leaf buckwheat, northern buckwheat
Habit Intricately branched, low and spreading to erect shrub 5-15 cm. tall, somewhat gray-woolly to silky throughout. Stout perennial from a woody taproot, the broad crown somewhat shrubby, the several stems and leaves forming a plant to 5 cm. high and broad.
Leaves

Leaves many, linear to linear-spatulate, 3-10 mm. long, usually revolute, somewhat wooly beneath and silky above.

Basal, lanceolate to deltoid, more or less cordate-based, white-woolly beneath and green above, on petioles as long to several times as long as the blade.
Flowers

Flowering stems 3-8 cm. tall, always with a whorl of leaves about mid-length;

involucres single and terminal, top-shaped, 3-5 mm. long, the teeth 6-8, erect, triangular, 1 mm. long;

perianth with a stipitate base 0.5-1 mm. long, densely hairy, the 6 segments obovate, yellow or white to rose-red, 4-6 mm. long; plants dioecious, the staminate flowers with 9 stamens, the filaments hairs only at the base, the pistillate flowers with stout, spreading styles 0.5-1 mm. long.

Flowering stems stout and naked, the inflorescence a compound umbel 2-20 cm. broad, with linear bracts at the base of both primary and secondary umbels;

involucres 6-10 mm. long, lobed about half their length, the lobes usually reflexed: tepals either creamy-white or lemon-yellow, about 5 mm. long, with a stipe-like base about 1 mm. long.
Fruits

Achenes pubescent above

Eriogonum thymoides

Eriogonum compositum
Identification notes Separate from the similar Eriogonum douglasii by the involucre lobes; E. thymoides has erect lobes, E. douglasii, reflexed to spreading lobes. The usually large, heart-shaped leaves that are green on top and woolly white beneath will usually identify this species.
Flowering time April-June May-July
Habitat Sagebrush deserts, dry ponderosa pine forest openings, and open ridges in lower mountains. Dry, open areas, rocky slopes and cliffs from low elevations nearly to the subalpine.
Distribution
Occurring east of the Cascades crest in central Washington; central Washington to Oregon, east to Idaho.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to Idaho.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Native Native
Conservation status Not of concern 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. umbellatum, E. vimineum
E. baileyi, E. cernuum, E. codium, 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
Subordinate taxa
E. compositum var. compositum, E. compositum var. lancifolium, E. compositum var. leianthum
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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