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flat top buckwheat, flat-top wild buckwheat, flatcrown buckwheat, flatcrown wild buckwheat, skeleton weed

Habit Herbs, erect to spreading, annual, (0.5–)1–10(–20) dm, glabrous, occasionally glaucous, greenish to grayish.
Stems

caudex absent;

aerial flowering stems erect, solid or occasionally hollow and fistulose, 0.3–3(–4) dm, glabrous, occasionally glaucous.

Leaves

basal;

petiole 1–7 cm, usually floccose;

blade cordate to reniform or nearly orbiculate, 1–2.5(–4) × 2–4(–5) cm, densely white-tomentose abaxially, less so to floccose or subglabrous and grayish to greenish adaxially, margins entire.

Inflorescences

cymose, open to diffuse, flat-topped, spreading, hemispheric or narrowly erect and strict with whiplike branches, 10–90(–180) × 5–50 cm;

branches glabrous, occasionally glaucous;

bracts 3, scalelike, 1–3 × 0.5–1.5 mm.

Peduncles

absent or deflexed, rarely some ± erect distally, straight, slender to stout, 0.1–1.5 cm, glabrous.

Involucres

narrowly turbinate to turbinate, 1.5–2.5(–3) × 1–2.5 mm, glabrous;

teeth 5, erect, (0.2–)0.5–1 mm.

Flowers

1–2.5 mm;

perianth white to pink, with greenish to reddish midribs, becoming pinkish to reddish, glabrous;

tepals dimorphic, those of outer whorl oblong or cordate to ovate, those of inner whorl lanceolate to narrowly ovate;

stamens included, 1–1.5 mm;

filaments glabrous or sparsely pilose proximally.

Achenes

brown to dark brown, 3-gonous, (1.5–)2–3 mm, glabrous.

Eriogonum deflexum

Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; NV; UT; including Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Eriogonum deflexum is common and often weedy throughout most of its range. It is an important source of small seed for birds. The reported use of the stem (M. L. Zigmond 1981, as E. insigne) by the Kawaiisu people as a smoking pipe is incorrect; the taxon in point was actually E. deflexum var. baratum. The desert metalmark butterfly (Apodemia mormo deserti) is found in association with E. deflexum.

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

Key
1. Involucres (2-)2.5-3 mm, narrowly turbinate; peduncles (0.3-)0.5-1.5 cm; stems fistulose; s and ec California, s Nevada
var. baratum
1. Involucres 1.5-2.5 mm, turbinate; peduncles absent or 0.1-0.5 cm; stems not fistulose; Arizona, s and ec California, Nevada, sw New Mexico, w Utah
→ 2
2. Tepals cordate to ovate; Arizona, s Califonia, s Nevada, sw New Mexico, w Utah
var. deflexum
2. Tepals oblong; ec California, Nevada
var. nevadense
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 394.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Ganysma
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. 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. 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. deflexum var. baratum, E. deflexum var. deflexum, E. deflexum var. nevadense
Name authority Torrey: in J. C. Ives, Rep. Colorado R. 4: 24. (1861)
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