Eriogonum maculatum |
Eriogonum racemosum |
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angle stermed buckwheat, spotted buckwheat, spotted wild buckwheat |
red-root wild buckwheat, redroot buckwheat |
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Habit | Herbs, erect to spreading, annual, 1–2(–3) dm, tomentose, greenish to reddish. | Herbs, erect to slightly spreading, 3–8(–10) × 0.5–1.5 dm, tomen-tose to floccose or rarely glabrous, grayish. |
Stems | caudex absent; aerial flowering stems erect, not striated or angled, solid, not fistulose, 0.1–0.5 dm, tomentose. |
spreading to erect, without persistent leaf bases, up to 1/6 height of plant; caudex stems absent; aerial flowering stems erect to slightly spreading, slender to stout, solid, not fistulose, (1–)1.5–2.5(–3) dm, tomentose to floccose, rarely glabrous. |
Leaves | basal and cauline; basal: petiole 0.3–1 cm, floccose, blade lanceolate to obovate, 1–3(–4) × 1–1.5(–2) cm, tomentose abaxially, sparsely floccose to glabrate and grayish to greenish adaxially, margins entire or infrequently crenulate; cauline sessile, blade lanceolate to oblanceolate, 0.5–2 × 0.3–1 cm, similar to basal blade. |
basal, 1 per node; petiole (2–)3–10(–15) cm, tomentose to floccose; blade elliptic to ovate or oval to nearly rotund, (1.5–)2–6(–10) × 1–4(–5) cm, lanate to thinly tomentose abaxially, floccose or glabrous and green adaxially, margins plane. |
Inflorescences | cymose, open, 5–25 × 10–30 cm; branches tomentose; bracts 3, scalelike, 0.5–2.5 × 1–2 mm. |
virgate or racemose with involucres racemosely disposed throughout or at tips, 15–50 × 05–20 cm, tomentose, rarely glabrous; branches dichotomous, upper secondaries suppressed and bearing 5–20(–30) racemosely arranged involucres; bracts 3, scalelike, triangular, and (1–)2.5–7 mm, or leaflike, linear-oblanceolate or oblanceolate to elliptic, and 10–40 × 5–20(–25) mm. |
Peduncles | spreading, straight or nearly so, filiform, (0.5–)1–3 cm, glandular-puberulent. |
absent or erect, stout, 0.3–4 cm, tomentose to floccose. |
Involucres | campanulate, 1–1.5(–2) × 1.5–3(–3.5) mm, glandular-puberulent; teeth 5, erect, 0.4–0.8 mm. |
1 per node, turbinate to turbinate-campanulate, (2–)3–5 × (2–)2.5–4 mm, tomentose to floccose; teeth 5, erect, (0.1–)0.2–0.5 mm. |
Flowers | 1–2.5 mm; perianth white to yellow, becoming pink or red, with a conspicuous rose-purple spot on each outer tepal, glandular-puberulent; tepals dimorphic, those of outer whorl elliptic to roundish or obovate, inflated from base to middle, those of inner whorl lanceolate; stamens included, 1–1.5(–2) mm; filaments pilose proximally. |
(2–)2.5–5 mm; perianth white to pinkish, glabrous; tepals connate proximal 1/4, monomorphic, oblong; stamens exserted, 2–5 mm; filaments pilose proximally. |
Achenes | brown, 3-gonous, 1–1.5 mm, glabrous. |
light brown, 3–4 mm, glabrous. |
2n | = 40. |
= 36. |
Eriogonum maculatum |
Eriogonum racemosum |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Nov. | Flowering Jun–Oct. |
Habitat | Sandy to gravelly or clayey flats and slopes, mixed grassland, saltbush, creosote bush, and sagebrush communities, pinyon-juniper and montane conifer woodlands | Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, mixed grass, sagebrush, and mountain mahogany communities, scrub oak, pinyon, juniper, and conifer woodlands |
Elevation | 100-2500 m (300-8200 ft) | 1400-2900(-3500) m (4600-9500(-11500) ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; ID; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; Mexico (Baja California)
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AZ; CO; NM; NV; UT
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Discussion | Eriogonum maculatum is the most common and widespread expression of the E. angulosum complex, being found in Arizona, California, southwestern Idaho, Nevada, northwestern New Mexico, eastern Oregon, western Utah, and southeastern Washington. It is often common to abundant and may even be weedy, especially along roadsides intermixed with other annual wild buckwheats. The swollen bases of the outer tepals readily distinguish the species. The greatest concentrations of the spotted wild buckwheat are found in the Mojave Desert and the Great Basin. A specimen supposedly found on the “Laramie Plains” of Wyoming (Parry s.n., 1882, ISC) is discounted as to location. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Eriogonum racemosum is highly variable in stature, the presence of leaflike bracts in the inflorescences, the size and shape of the leaves, and the length of the mature flowers. None of these features is geographically correlated and thus no taxonomic distinctions are attempted. The species is occasionally cultivated. The tomentose, nonfistulose flowering stems easily distinguish it from Eriogonum zionis. Individuals of E. racemosum with glabrous flowering stems are known (Reveal & Holmgren 1893, BRY, US, UTC; Goodrich 17355, BRY; Neese & White 9237, BRY), but are rare and clearly aberrant expressions. The Navajo or Diné people use the roots of Eriogonum racemosum as a “life medicine,” primarily in the treatment of internal problems, notably poisoning and diarrhea (C. Arnold, pers. comm.; P. A. Vestal 1952). They also use it as an analgesic and orthopedic aid (D. E. Moerman 1986; L. C. Wyman and S. K. Harris 1951); there are reports of its use for venereal disease. Leaves and stems were eaten raw by the Ramah Navajo in northwestern New Mexico (Wyman and Harris). Eriogonum racemosum is the food plant for the Spalding dotted-blue butterfly (Euphilotes spaldingi) and is occasionally visited by the desert green or Comstock’s hairstreak (Callophrys comstocki). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 411. | FNA vol. 5, p. 295. |
Parent taxa | Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Ganysma | Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Eucycla |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. angulosum subsp. maculatum, E. angulosum var. maculatum, E. angulosum var. rectipes | E. racemosum var. obtusum, E. racemosum var. orthocladon |
Name authority | A. Heller: Muhlenbergia 2: 188. (1906) | Nuttall: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 4: 14. (1848) |
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