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slender buckwheat, slender woolly buckwheat, slender woolly wild buckwheat

Trinity buckwheat, Trinity wild buckwheat

Habit Herbs, erect to spreading or somewhat decumbent, (0.7–)1.5–5(–7) dm, lanate to tomentose or floccose, rarely glabrous, greenish to whitish or grayish. Herbs, spreading, compact, 0.2–0.6 × (0.3–)0.4–1 dm, tomentose.
Stems

aerial flowering stems erect, 0.5–2 dm, lanate to tomentose or floccose, rarely glabrous.

caudex absent;

aerial flowering stems erect or nearly so, slender, solid, not fistulose, arising directly from a taproot, (0.3–)0.4–0.6 dm, floccose, with a whorl of 3–5 leaflike bracts ca. or slightly below midlength, 0.4–0.8(–1) × 0.15–0.4(–0.7) cm.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

basal: petiole 1–4 cm, floccose, not winged, blade oblanceolate to oblong, (0.8–)1–4(–6) × 0.5–2 cm, tomentose abaxially, less so to floccose and greenish to grayish adaxially;

cauline: petiole 0.3–2 cm, floccose, blade oblanceolate, 0.5–3 × 0.3–1.5 cm, similar to basal blade.

basal, in well-defined rosettes;

petiole 1–2(–3) cm, tomentose;

blade oval to round-oval, 1–2(–3) × 1–2(–3) cm, densely whitish- or grayish-tomentose on both surfaces, margins entire, plane.

Inflorescences

cymose, occasionally distally uniparous due to suppression of secondary branches, open to somewhat diffuse, 0.5–4 × 0.5–3 cm;

branches lanate to tomentose or floccose, rarely glabrous, straight or nearly so, not inwardly curved distally;

bracts 0.5–3 × 1–3 mm.

capitate, 1–2(–2.5) cm wide;

branches absent;

bracts absent immediately below involucre.

Peduncles

absent.

Involucres

somewhat appressed to branches, turbinate, (1.8–)2–3 × 1.5–2 mm, floccose or glabrous;

teeth 5, erect, 0.3–0.6 mm.

1 per node, broadly campanulate, 3–5(–6) × 4–7(–10) mm, tomentose;

teeth 6–12, erect, 0.5–0.9 mm.

Flowers

1.5–3 mm;

perianth white to pink or yellow, glabrous;

tepals monomorphic, lanceolate to oblong;

stamens mostly included, 1–1.5 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

(3–)4–8 mm, including 0.5–0.8 mm stipelike base;

perianth bright yellow, glabrous;

tepals monomorphic, oblong-obovate;

stamens included to exserted, 3–6 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

Achenes

brown, 3-gonous, 1–2 mm.

light brown, 4–5 mm, glabrous.

2n

= 22.

Eriogonum gracile

Eriogonum alpinum

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Serpentine slopes and ridges, montane conifer woodlands
Elevation 2000-2800 m (6600-9200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Eriogonum gracile is a highly variable species. The low, spreading plants from the mountains of coastal central California with 2–3 mm involucres and (usually) yellowish flowers differ from the more erect plants represented by the type collection, which have 1.8–2 mm involucres and white flowers. Such plants are found mainly farther south, in the Mt. Diablo and Mt. Hamilton areas of Alameda, Contra Costa, and Stanislaus counties. Some populations of E. gracile from the Inner Coast Ranges of eastern San Luis Obispo County are slightly different from the norm and the epithet leucocladon has been adopted in some local floristic treatments to account for them. However, the type of E. leucocladon does not seem to be this phase.

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

Of conservation concern.

Eriogonum alpinum is a rare and localized species found only on the slopes of Scott Mountain (where it is known only from the type collection), Cory Peak, and Mt. Eddy on the border of Siskiyou and Trinity counties. It is considered to be a “sensitive” species by the U.S. Forest Service, but is listed as endangered by the state of California.

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

Key
1. Inflorescence branches lanate to tomentose or floccose; throughout California
var. gracile
1. Inflorescence branches glabrous; s California
var. incultum
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 423. FNA vol. 5, p. 375.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Oregonium 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. gordonii, E. gossypinum, 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. 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. wetherillii, E. wootonii, E. wrightii, E. zionis
Subordinate taxa
E. gracile var. gracile, E. gracile var. incultum
Synonyms E. vimineum subsp. gracile
Name authority Bentham: Bot. Voy. Sulphur, 46. (1844) Engelmann: Bot. Gaz. 7: 6. (1882)
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