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Gordon's buckwheat, Gordon's eriogonum, Gordon's wild buckwheat

Baker's wild buckwheat, ivy league wild buckwheat

Habit Herbs, erect to spreading, annual, (0.5–)1–5(–7) dm, glabrous or sparsely hispid, grayish. Herbs, spreading to often compact mats, 0.2–2.5 × 2–10 dm, floccose.
Stems

caudex absent;

aerial flowering stems erect, solid, not fistulose, 0.5–1.5(–3) dm, glabrous or sparsely hispid.

caudex absent or spreading;

aerial flowering stems erect or nearly so, slender, solid, not fistulose, usually arising directly from a taproot, 0.2–2 dm, floccose.

Leaves

basal;

petiole 1–5 cm, glabrous or sparsely hirsute;

blade obovate to round or reniform, 1–5 × 1–5 cm, sparsely villous to hirsute and green on both surfaces, becoming glabrous with age, margins plane.

basal, typically not in rosettes;

petiole 0.5–2 cm, tomentose to floccose;

blade oblanceolate or oblong to elliptic, 0.5–3 × 0.5–1.5 cm, densely tomentose abaxially, mostly floccose and grayish or greenish adaxially, margins entire, plane.

Inflorescences

cymose, open to dense, 5–40(–50) × 5–50 cm;

branches not fistulose, glabrous or sparsely hispid;

bracts 3, scalelike, 0.5–2(–3) × 0.5–2.5 mm.

umbellate or compound-umbellate, occasionally capitate or even reduced to single involucre, 0.3–2 × 0.3–2 dm;

branches floccose;

bracts 3–8, semileaflike at proximal node, 0.3–2 × 0.2–1 cm, often scalelike distally.

Peduncles

erect, straight, slender, 0.5–2.5(–4) cm, glabrous.

Involucres

campanulate, 0.6–1.5 × 0.8–1.5 mm, glabrous;

teeth 5, erect, 0.2–0.4 mm.

1 per node, usually campanulate, 3–7 × 3–8 mm, floccose;

teeth 5–8, erect, 0.1–0.5 mm.

Flowers

1–2.5 mm;

perianth white with greenish or reddish midribs, rarely yellowish, becoming pink to rose, glabrous;

tepals monomorphic, oblong to narrowly ovate;

stamens included to exserted, 1–1.8 mm;

filaments glabrous.

4–8 mm, including 0.7–2 mm stipelike base;

perianth yellow, densely pubescent abaxially;

tepals dimorphic, those of outer whorl lanceolate to elliptic, 1.5–5 × 1–3 mm, those of inner whorl lanceolate to fan-shaped, 1.5–7 × 2–4 mm;

stamens exserted, 2–4 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

Achenes

shiny light brown to brown, 3-gonous, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous.

light brown to brown, 4–5 mm, glabrous except for sparsely pubescent beak.

Eriogonum gordonii

Eriogonum arcuatum

Phenology Flowering May–Oct.
Habitat Sandy to clayey flats and slopes, saltbush, greasewood, and sagebrush communities, pinyon and/or juniper or montane conifer woodlands
Elevation 900-2200 m (3000-7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NE; NM; SD; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eriogonum gordonii is common to even locally abundant throughout a range that extends in an arc from the Colorado Plateau of extreme northern Coconino and Apache counties, Arizona, and San Juan County, New Mexico, northward through the desert regions of eastern Utah and western Colorado into southwestern Wyoming, then northeastward mainly in short-grass prairie through east-central Wyoming and extreme northwestern Nebraska to South Dakota. A series of disjunct populations occurs in Fremont and Las Animas counties in Colorado. The species can be weedy in appearance but usually is absent from areas of significant disturbance, unlike other annual wild buckwheats.

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Eriogonum arcuatum has long been included under E. jamesii, primarily as the var. flavescens. It has also gone under the name E. bakeri, published by Greene about six weeks after he published E. arcuatum; the Fort Collins, Colorado, entomologist and botanist Charles Fuller Baker collected the types of both.

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

Key
1. Involucres (3-)4-8 mm wide; inflorescences umbellate or compound-umbellate, rarely capitate; flowers (4-)5-8 mm; below 3000 m; n Arizona, c and w Colorado, nw New Mexico, e Utah, se Wyoming
var. arcuatum
1. Involucres 3-5 mm wide; inflorescences capitate, rarely umbellate or reduced to single involucre; flowers 4-5(-6) mm or 6-7 mm; usually above 3000 m in c Colorado, or 1600-1900 m in sw Utah
→ 2
2. Flowers 4-5(-6) mm; Zion National Park, Utah
var. rupicola
2. Flowers 6-7 mm; Rocky Mountains, Colorado
var. xanthum
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 391. FNA vol. 5, p. 369.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Ganysma Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Oligogonum
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. 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. 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. 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. arcuatum var. arcuatum, E. arcuatum var. rupicola, E. arcuatum var. xanthum
Synonyms E. jamesii var. arcuatum
Name authority Bentham: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 14: 20. (1856) Greene: Pittonia 4: 319. (1901)
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