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

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

Wetherill's buckwheat, Wetherill's wild buckwheat

Habit Herbs, erect to spreading, annual, (0.5–)1–5(–7) dm, glabrous or sparsely hispid, grayish. Herbs, spreading, annual, 0.5–2.5 dm, glabrous, reddish green to reddish.
Stems

caudex absent;

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

caudex absent;

aerial flowering stems erect, solid, not fistulose, 0.1–0.4 dm, glabrous except somewhat villous proximally.

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;

petiole 1–5 cm, tomentose to floccose;

blade oblong to orbiculate, (0.5–)1–4 × (0.5–)1–3 cm, densely white-tomentose abaxially, floccose to glabrate and reddish or greenish adaxially, margins 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.

cymose, diffuse, flat-topped to rounded, 5–20 × 10–35 cm;

branches glabrous;

bracts 3, scalelike, 0.5–2 × 1–2 mm.

Peduncles

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

erect, straight, filiform, (0.3–)0.5–1 cm, glabrous, rarely absent distally.

Involucres

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

teeth 5, erect, 0.2–0.4 mm.

turbinate, (0.3–)0.5–1 × (0.2–)0.5–1 mm, glabrous;

teeth 4, erect, 0.1–0.3 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.

0.5–1.2 mm in early anthesis, becoming 1–1.5 mm;

perianth yellowish to red in early anthesis, becoming pink to rose, glabrous;

tepals monomorphic, elliptic to obovate;

stamens included to slightly exserted, 0.7–1 mm;

filaments glabrous.

Achenes

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

dark brown to black, lenticular, 0.6–1 mm, glabrous.

Eriogonum gordonii

Eriogonum wetherillii

Phenology Flowering May–Oct. Flowering Apr–Oct.
Habitat Sandy to clayey flats and slopes, saltbush, greasewood, and sagebrush communities, pinyon and/or juniper or montane conifer woodlands Sandy to clayey flats, washes, and slopes, saltbush, greasewood, blackbrush, and creosote bush communities, oak and pinyon and/or juniper woodlands
Elevation 900-2200 m (3000-7200 ft) 1000-2100(-2700) m (3300-6900(-8900) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NE; NM; SD; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT
[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 wetherillii is a species of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona (Apache, Coconino, and Navajo counties), southwestern Colorado (Montezuma County), northwestern New Mexico (San Juan County), and southeastern Utah (Emery, Garfield, Grand, Kane, San Juan, eastern Sevier, and Wayne counties). It typically is locally common, especially on sandy soils, but only rarely weedy.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 391. FNA vol. 5, p. 405.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Ganysma 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. 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. 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. wootonii, E. wrightii, E. zionis
Synonyms E. filiforme, E. sessile
Name authority Bentham: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 14: 20. (1856) Eastwood: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 2, 6: 319. (1896)
Web links