Flora of North America species comparison

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Eriogonum alatum

Eriogonum subg. Pterogonum

wing buckwheat, wing wild buckwheat
Habit Herbs, monocarpic, 5–20(–25) dm, strigose or glabrous; taproot often chambered. Herbs, erect, polycarpic or monocarpic perennials, strigose, silky-pubescent, or glandular-puberulent, occasionally glabrous [tomentose]; taproot woody occasionally chambered.
Stems

caudex absent;

aerial flowering stems usually 1, not fistulose, 2–13 dm, strigose or glabrous.

erect, with persistent leaf bases, silky-pubescent to glandular-puberulent or glabrous;

caudex absent or compact, spreading;

aerial flowering stems erect, slender to stout, solid or hollow, sometimes fistulose, not disarticulating in ringlike segments proximally, usually arising directly from root.
Leaves

basal and sometimes cauline;

basal petiolate, petiole 2–6 cm, stigose to woolly or glabrous, blade linear-lanceolate or lanceolate to oblanceolate to spatulate, (3–)5–20 × 0.3–2 cm, strigose, becoming glabrous and green on both surfaces except for margins and midvein;

cauline sessile, blade linear-oblanceolate to lanceolate, 1–9 × 0.3–0.8(–1) cm, similar to basal blade.

persistent or marcescent, basal or basal and cauline, not fasciculate;

blade glabrous or strigose to hispid or stipitate-glandular.
Inflorescences

2–10 dm;

branches strigose or glabrous;

bracts semileaflike proximally, linear to linear-lanceolate, 2–9 × 1–3 mm, scalelike distally, triangular, 0.8–5 × 0.5–2 mm.

cymose, open, occasionally with 1 branch of cyme suppressed;

bracts 3, connate basally, semileaflike to scalelike.
Peduncles

erect, straight or curving upward, 0.5–3.5 cm, strigose or glabrous.

ascending to erect, slender.
Involucres

turbinate to campanulate, 2–4(–4.5) × 2–4(–4.5) mm, strigose or glabrous;

teeth 1–1.8 mm.

1 per node, not appressed to inflorescence branches, turbinate to campanulate;

teeth 5, erect.
Flowers

1.5–2.5 mm in anthesis, 3–6 mm in fruit;

perianth yellow to yellowish green, rarely maroon in anthesis, often reddish or maroon in fruit, glabrous;

tepals lanceolate;

stamens 1.5–3 mm;

filaments glabrous.

not attenuate at base, without stipelike base;

perianth various shades of white, yellow, red, or purple, glabrous on both surfaces or occasionally pubescent abaxially;

tepals connate proximally 1/4–1/3 their length, monomorphic;

stamens exserted;

filaments pilose proximally or glabrous.
Achenes

yellowish green to reddish brown, 5–9 mm, glabrous, 3-winged entire length, beakless.

various shades of brown, 3-winged or -ridged, 3-gonous, glabrous or pilose [strigose].
Seeds

embryo straight.

Eriogonum alatum

Eriogonum subg. Pterogonum
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; KS; NE; NM; OK; TX; UT; WY; including Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
sw United States; Mexico
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The mature reddish roots of Eriogonum alatum can be distinctively chambered. The Navajo (Diné) people consider the species to be a “life medicine” (L. C. Wyman and S. K. Harris 1951), using a mixture of shredded roots and water primarily to treat internal ailments. The species is used also as a ceremonial medicine (P. A. Vestal 1952). The Zuni use it as an emetic for stomachaches (S. Camazine and R. A. Bye 1980).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species 11 (6 in the flora).

W. J. Hess and J. L. Reveal (1976) subdivided subg. Pterogonum into four sections: sect. Pterogonum (only Eriogonum atrorubens in the flora area), sect. Peregrina W. J. Hess & Reveal (E. greggii), sect. Astra W. J. Hess & Reveal (E. hemipterum, E. hieracifolium, and E. nealleyi), and sect. Alata Bentham (E. alatum). The rest of the species occur in northern Mexico and all belong to sect. Pterogonum: E. ciliatum Torrey ex Bentham, E. clivosum W. J. Hess & Reveal, E. fimbriatum W. J. Hess & Reveal, E. henricksonii Reveal, and E. viscanum W. J. Hess & Reveal.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Flowering stems and inflorescence branches usually strigose; peduncles strigose or nearly so; involucres strigose, rarely glabrous; plants 5-13(-17) dm; n Arizona, Colorado, w Kansas, sw Nebraska, New Mexico, w Texas, e Utah, se Wyoming
var. alatum
1. Flowering stems and inflorescence branches glabrous or nearly so; peduncles glabrous, occasionally slightly strigose; involucres glabrous; plants 10-20(-25) dm; ne New Mexico, w Oklahoma, n Texas
var. glabriusculum
1. Leaves basal or, if cauline, whorled; stems glandular-puberulent or, if glabrous, stems fistulose
→ 2
1. Leaves basal; stems strigose to glandular-pubescent or, if glabrous, stems not fistulose
→ 3
2. Perianths glabrous, purple to red or maroon; cauline leaves absent; stems glabrous, often fistulose; Hidalgo County, New Mexico
E. atrorubens
2. Perianths strigose, yellowish white; cauline leaves whorled; stems glandular-puberulent, not fistulose; Hidalgo County, Texas
E. greggii
3. Plants monocarpic; taproot often chambered; perianths yellow to yellowish green, rarely maroon in anthesis; achenes winged entire length; e Utah, se Wyoming and sw Nebraskato n Arizona, New Mexico, and n and w Texas
E. alatum
3. Plants polycarpic; taproot not chambered; perianths yellow, white to greenish white, reddish purple, or maroon; achenes ribbed or winged only along distal 1/ 2; ec Arizona, wc and s New Mexico, w Texas
→ 4
4. Inflorescence branches glabrous; perianths white to greenish white, glabrous or sparsely strigose; Coke, Howard, Irion, and Sterling counties, Texas
E. nealleyi
4. Inflorescence branches strigose; perianths yellow to reddish purple or maroon, strigose or pilose; ec Arizona, wc and s New Mexico to sw Texas
→ 5
5. Perianths reddish purple or maroon, rarely yellow; Brewster County, Texas
E. hemipterum
5. Perianth yellow in anthesis, reddish in fruit; ec Arizona, wc and s New Mexico to w Texas
E. hieracifolium
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 379. FNA vol. 5, p. 376.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Pterogonum Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum
Sibling taxa
E. abertianum, E. acaule, E. aliquantum, E. allenii, E. alpinum, E. ammophilum, E. ampullaceum, E. androsaceum, E. anemophilum, E. angulosum, E. annuum, E. apiculatum, E. apricum, E. arborescens, E. arcuatum, E. aretioides, E. argillosum, E. argophyllum, E. arizonicum, E. artificis, E. atrorubens, E. baileyi, E. batemanii, E. bicolor, E. bifurcatum, E. brachyanthum, E. brachypodum, E. brandegeei, E. breedlovei, E. brevicaule, E. butterworthianum, E. caespitosum, E. capillare, E. cernuum, E. chrysops, E. cinereum, E. cithariforme, E. clavatum, E. clavellatum, E. codium, E. collinum, E. coloradense, E. compositum, E. concinnum, E. congdonii, E. contiguum, E. contortum, E. correllii, E. corymbosum, E. covilleanum, E. crocatum, E. cronquistii, E. crosbyae, E. cusickii, E. darrovii, E. dasyanthemum, E. davidsonii, E. deflexum, E. deserticola, E. desertorum, E. diatomaceum, E. diclinum, E. divaricatum, E. douglasii, E. eastwoodianum, E. effusum, E. elatum, E. elegans, E. elongatum, E. ephedroides, E. eremicola, E. eremicum, E. ericifolium, E. esmeraldense, E. evanidum, E. exaltatum, E. exilifolium, E. fasciculatum, E. flavum, E. fusiforme, E. giganteum, E. gilmanii, E. glandulosum, E. gordonii, E. gossypinum, E. gracile, E. gracilipes, E. gracillimum, E. grande, E. greggii, E. gypsophilum, E. havardii, E. heermannii, E. helichrysoides, E. hemipterum, E. heracleoides, E. hieracifolium, E. hirtellum, E. hirtiflorum, E. hoffmannii, E. holmgrenii, E. hookeri, E. howellianum, E. hylophilum, E. incanum, E. inerme, E. inflatum, E. intrafractum, E. jamesii, E. jonesii, E. kelloggii, E. kennedyi, E. kingii, E. lachnogynum, E. lancifolium, E. latens, E. latifolium, E. lemmonii, E. leptocladon, E. leptophyllum, E. libertini, E. lobbii, E. loganum, E. lonchophyllum, E. longifolium, E. luteolum, E. maculatum, E. mancum, E. marifolium, E. mensicola, E. microthecum, E. mitophyllum, E. mohavense, E. molestum, E. mortonianum, E. multiflorum, E. natum, E. nealleyi, E. nervulosum, E. nidularium, E. niveum, E. nortonii, E. novonudum, E. nudum, E. nummulare, E. nutans, E. ochrocephalum, E. ordii, E. ostlundii, E. ovalifolium, E. palmerianum, E. panamintense, E. panguicense, E. parishii, E. parvifolium, E. pauciflorum, E. pelinophilum, E. pendulum, E. pharnaceoides, E. plumatella, E. polycladon, E. polypodum, E. prattenianum, E. prociduum, E. pulchrum, E. pusillum, E. pyrolifolium, E. racemosum, E. reniforme, E. ripleyi, E. rixfordii, E. robustum, E. rosense, E. roseum, E. rotundifolium, E. rubricaule, E. rupinum, E. salicornioides, E. saxatile, E. scabrellum, E. scopulorum, E. shockleyi, E. siskiyouense, E. smithii, E. soliceps, E. soredium, E. spathulatum, E. spectabile, E. spergulinum, E. sphaerocephalum, E. strictum, E. subreniforme, E. suffruticosum, E. temblorense, E. tenellum, E. ternatum, E. terrenatum, E. thomasii, E. thompsoniae, E. thornei, E. thurberi, E. thymoides, E. tiehmii, E. tomentosum, E. trichopes, E. tripodum, E. truncatum, E. tumulosum, E. twisselmannii, E. umbellatum, E. ursinum, E. vestitum, E. villiflorum, E. vimineum, E. viridescens, E. viridulum, E. viscidulum, E. visheri, E. watsonii, E. wetherillii, E. wootonii, E. wrightii, E. zionis
Subordinate taxa
E. alatum var. alatum, E. alatum var. glabriusculum
E. alatum, E. atrorubens, E. greggii, E. hemipterum, E. hieracifolium, E. nealleyi
Synonyms Pterogonum alatum subg. Pterogonum
Name authority Torrey: in L. Sitgreaves, Rep. Exped. Zuni Colorado Rivers, 168, plate 8. (1853) (H. Gross) Reveal: Sida 3: 82. (1967)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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