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

Colorado desert buckwheat, Colorado desert wild buckwheat, desert wild buckwheat

Havard's buckwheat, Havard's wild buckwheat

Habit Shrubs, erect or spreading, not scapose, 6–15(–18) × 10–20(–35) dm, white-tomentose to thinly floccose, greenish or grayish. Herbs, erect, not scapose, (2–)3–6 × 1.5–4 dm, glabrous, grayish.
Stems

mostly spreading, without persistent leaf bases, up to 1/2 height or more of plant;

caudex stems absent or spreading in moving sand;

aerial flowering stems spreading, slender, solid, not fistulose, 1.5–4 dm, white-tomentose to thinly floccose, occasionally glabrate and light green.

spreading, without persistent leaf bases, up to 1/5 height of plant;

caudex stems absent;

aerial flowering stems erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, 0.5–2.5 dm, glabrous, tomentose among leaves.

Leaves

cauline, 1 per node, rarely fasciculate, quickly deciduous;

petiole (0.3–)0.5–2 cm, tomentose to floccose;

blade oblong-ovate to round-oblong or orbiculate, (0.3–)0.5–1.5(–3.5) × (0.5–)0.7–1.7(–2) cm, white-tomentose on both surfaces, margins plane, sometimes crisped.

basal, 1 per node;

petiole 0.5–1.5(–2.5) cm, tomentose;

blade oblanceolate to elliptic, 1–3(–5) × 0.2–1(–1.3) cm, densely white- or silvery-tomentose on both surfaces, margins plane.

Inflorescences

cymose, open, 15–90 × 20–100 cm;

branches dichotomous, white-tomentose to thinly floccose, becoming floccose or glabrate and green;

bracts 3, triangular, 0.5–1.5 mm.

cymose, open, divided 3–10 times, 10–40 × 10–30 cm;

branches dichotomous, glabrous;

bracts 3, scalelike, triangular, 1–2 mm.

Peduncles

absent or erect, slender, 0.1–0.5 cm, floccose to glabrate.

erect, slender, 0.5–6 cm.

Involucres

1 per node, turbinate-campanulate, 1.5–2.5(–3) × 1.3–1.6(–2) mm, thinly tomentose;

teeth 4, erect, 0.3–0.5 mm.

1 per node, campanulate, 1.5–2.5 × (1.5–)2–3 mm, tomentose;

teeth 5, erect, 0.5–0.8 mm.

Flowers

(2.5–)3–4(–4.5) mm;

perianth greenish yellow to yellow, silky-villous abaxially;

tepals connate proximally, monomorphic, oblong to oblong-obovate;

stamens exserted, 2.5–4 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

2.5–3 mm;

perianth yellow, densely white-pubescent;

tepals connate proximal 1/3, monomorphic, lanceolate;

stamens exserted, 2.5–3.5 mm;

filaments glabrous.

Achenes

brown, 3–4(–4.5) mm, glabrous except for scabrellous beak.

brown, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous.

2n

= 40.

Eriogonum deserticola

Eriogonum havardii

Phenology Flowering Jul–Jan. Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat Deep moving sand dunes and sandy flats, desert scrub communities Gravelly (often calcareous) or shaley to clayey or gypsum flats and outcrops, mixed grassland, creosote, and mesquite communities, juniper woodlands
Elevation -60-200 m (-200-700 ft) (400-)800-1800(-2100) m ((1300-)2600-5900(-6900) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eriogonum deserticola is found primarily in the moving sand dunes in the southern Salton Sea basin of extreme eastern San Diego and Imperial counties, California, with small populations in Yuma County, Arizona, and Baja California and Sonora, Mexico, where the species can be locally abundant. The larger plants are continually being buried and then uncovered by moving sand, revealing slender, grotesquely twisted trunks. R. S. Felger (2000) reported seeing some of the “exposed lateral roots” being up to six or more meters in length. It appears that the leaves are frequently stripped away by wind-blown sand.

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

Eriogonum havardii is infrequent in southeastern New Mexico (Chaves, Eddy, Lea, Lincoln, Otero, and Socorro counties) and western Texas (Brewster, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Pecos, Presidio, Terrell, Val Verde, and Winkler counties). The leaf blades are demarcated by depressed lines along their entire length, appearing as a series of folds. The bright yellow of the flowers is seen only by looking at the adaxial surface of the tepals, the abaxial surface being wholly obscured by dense white hairs. The species is worthy of cultivation.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 302. FNA vol. 5, p. 288.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Eucycla 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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms E. leucophyllum
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 26: 125. (1891) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 18: 194. (1883)
Web links