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

clumping buckwheat, cushion desert wild buckwheat, mat wild buckwheat, Matted buckwheat, Matted wild buckwheat

Habit Herbs, erect to spreading, annual, (0.5–)1–5(–7) dm, glabrous or sparsely hispid, grayish. Herbs, matted, polygamodioecious, (0.1–)0.3–1 × 1–5(–12) dm.
Stems

caudex absent;

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

caudex spreading;

aerial flowering stems scapelike, ascending to weakly erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, arising at nodes of caudex branches and at distal nodes of short, nonflowering aerial branches, (0.1–)0.3–0.8(–1) dm, mostly floccose or glabrous, without a whorl of bracts.

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.

in compact basal rosettes;

petiole 0.05–0.4(–0.7) cm, usually tomentose;

blade elliptic to obovate or nearly oval, 0.2–1(–1.5) × 0.15–0.4(–0.5) cm, grayish- to whitish-tomentose on both surfaces or less so and 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.

capitate, 0.5–2 cm wide;

branches absent;

bracts absent immediately below involucre.

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, campanulate, 2–3.5 × 2–4 mm;

teeth 6–9, lobelike, strongly reflexed, 2–3.5 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.

2.5–10 mm, including 0.5–1 mm stipelike base;

perianth yellow to reddish or rose, densely pilose to villous abaxially;

stamens exserted, 3–4 mm;

filaments pilose proximally; staminate flowers shorter, 2.5–4 mm, tepals monomorphic, oblong-oblanceolate; pistillate flowers 2.5–10 mm, tepals slightly dimorphic.

Achenes

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

light brown to brown, (3.5–)4–5 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on beak.

Eriogonum gordonii

Eriogonum caespitosum

Phenology Flowering May–Oct. Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Sandy to clayey flats and slopes, saltbush, greasewood, and sagebrush communities, pinyon and/or juniper or montane conifer woodlands Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grassland, saltbush, sagebrush, and mountain mahogany communities, oak, pinyon and/or juniper and montane conifer woodlands
Elevation 900-2200 m (3000-7200 ft) (1300-)1500-3000(-3700) m ((4300-)4900-9800(-12100) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NE; NM; SD; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; 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.)

Eriogonum caespitosum is widespread and usually common. It is variable throughout its range but no taxonomic subunits have been noted. The functionally staminate plants can be morphologically different from the functionally pistillate ones, and that may cause some confusion in the field, especially when the latter are in fruit. The plants are widely cultivated and worthy of consideration for the rock or sand garden. Plants from along the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada in southern Mono County, California, form large, dense mats and would be most attractive in the garden. The scapelike flowering stem is technically a peduncle, being a further reduction of the inflorescence from that seen in E. douglasii. A specimen supposedly gathered in Nebraska (Abbott s.n., CAS) is discounted as to location.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 391. FNA vol. 5, p. 364.
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. 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. 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
Synonyms E. sphaerocephalum var. sericoleucum
Name authority Bentham: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 14: 20. (1856) Nuttall: J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 7: 50, plate 8, fig. 2. (1834)
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