The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Bailey buckwheat, Bailey's buckwheat, Bailey's wild buckwheat

spreading buckwheat, strawflower wild buckwheat

Habit Herbs, erect to spreading, 1–4(–5) dm, glabrous or tomentose, grayish. Shrubs, spreading, not scapose, 1.5–3(–4) × 3–8 dm, floccose and dark green.
Stems

aerial flowering stems erect, 0.5–1 dm, glabrous or tomentose.

spreading, often without persistent leaf bases, up to 1/3 height of plant;

caudex stems absent;

aerial flowering stems erect to slightly spreading, slender, solid, not fistulose, 0.02–0.04 dm, floccose.

Leaves

basal;

petiole 0.5–3 cm, tomentose;

blade suborbiculate, 0.5–2 × 0.5–2 cm, densely white-tomentose abaxially, mostly tomentose and grayish to greenish adaxially.

cauline, 1 per node;

petiole 0.2–0.7 cm, floccose;

blade linear to linear-oblanceolate, (2–)3–6 × 0.1–0.3 cm, densely tomentose abaxially, floccose and green adaxially, margins revolute.

Inflorescences

cymose, infrequently distally uniparous due to suppression of secondary branches, open to diffuse, 5–35(–45) × 5–35(–4) cm;

branches glabrous or tomentose;

bracts 0.5–3 × 1–3 mm.

cymose, compact, 0.5–1.3(–1.6) dm;

branches dichotomous, floccose to nearly glabrous;

bracts 3, scalelike, triangular, 0.5–2 mm.

Peduncles

absent.

absent or erect, 0.5–2.5 cm, floccose.

Involucres

somewhat appressed to branches, turbinate, 1–1.5 × 0.5–1 mm, glabrous or tomentose;

teeth 5, erect, 0.2–0.3 mm.

1 per node, turbinate, 2.5–3 × 1–2 mm, floccose or glabrous;

teeth 5, erect, 0.3–0.6 mm.

Flowers

1.5–2 mm;

perianth white to rose, minutely glandular, rarely glabrous;

tepals monomorphic, oblong to oblong-obovate, somewhat constricted near middle and flaring adaxially;

stamens included, 1–1.5 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

2–2.5(–3) mm;

perianth white, becoming rose, glabrous;

tepals connate proximal 1/4, essentially monomorphic, elliptic to obovate;

stamens exserted, 2.5–4.5 mm;

filaments sparsely pilose.

Achenes

brown, 3-gonous, 1–1.5 mm.

brown, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous.

Eriogonum baileyi

Eriogonum helichrysoides

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Clay slopes or chalky limestone outcrops, mixed grassland communities
Elevation 900-1100 m (3000-3600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; UT; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
KS
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Eriogonum baileyi is closely related to and sometimes difficult to distinguish from E. elegans of the Inner Coast Ranges of California, and E. brachyanthum along the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada, especially in Inyo and Mono counties. However, these species do not seem to intergrade. Eriogonum baileyi often grows with other annual wild buckwheats (especially E. ampullaceum and E. brachyanthum), so care must be taken not to make mixed collections.

The Kawaiisu people of southern California pounded the seeds into a meal, which they ate dry, and also mixed with water to serve as a beverage (M. L. Zigmond 1981).

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

Eriogonum helichrysoides is limited to west-central Kansas (Ellis, Gove, Lane, Logan, Scott, and Trego counties). The plants’ dark green color and narrow leaf blades readily segregate the species from E. effusum.

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

Key
1. Flowering stems and inflorescence branches glabrous; e and s California, sc Idaho, Nevada, e Oregon, sw Utah, e Washington
var. baileyi
1. Flowering stems and inflorescence branches tomentose; ne California, w and nc Nevada, c Idaho
var. praebens
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 425. FNA vol. 5, p. 248.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Oregonium Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Eucycla
Sibling taxa
E. abertianum, E. acaule, E. alatum, 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. 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
E. abertianum, E. acaule, E. alatum, 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. 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. baileyi var. baileyi, E. baileyi var. praebens
Synonyms E. vimineum subsp. baileyi E. microthecum subsp. helichrysoides, E. effusum subsp. helichrysoides, E. effusum var. rosmarnioides
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 10: 348. (1875) (Gandoger) Prain: in B. D. Jackson et al., Index Kew., suppl. 4: 82. (1913)
Web links