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sorrel buckwheat, sorrel wild buckwheat

divergent buckwheat, divergent wild buckwheat

Habit Herbs, narrowly erect, (0.5–)1–6 dm, tomentose, whitish to grayish. Herbs, spreading, 1–2(–3) dm, puberulent to short-pilose, greenish to reddish.
Stems

aerial flowering stems erect, (0.3–)1–3 dm, tomentose.

aerial flowering stems decumbent to spreading, 0.3–0.5 dm, puberulent to short-pilose.

Leaves

cauline;

petiole 0.3–1.5 cm;

blade narrowly oblanceolate to broadly elliptic, (0.7–)1–3 × 0.5–1.5 cm, densely white-tomentose and whitish to grayish on both surfaces.

basal and cauline;

basal: petiole 1–4(–5) cm, puberulent to short-pilose, blade elliptic-oblong to orbiculate, 1–2(–2.5) × 1–2(–2.5) cm, puberulent to short-pilose and green on both surfaces;

cauline: petiole (0–)0.1–2 cm, puberulent to short-pilose, absent distally, blades opposite, oblanceolate to oblong or elliptic, 0.3–1(–1.5) × 0.2–0.8(–1.2) cm, similar to basal blade.

Inflorescences

narrowly cymose, distally uniparous due to suppression of secondary branches, open, (5–)10–50 × 10–25 cm;

branches tomentose;

bracts 1.5–3 × 1–2.5 mm.

cymose, distally uniparous due to suppression of secondary branches, diffuse, 5–25 × 10–45 cm;

branches puberulent;

bracts 1–3(–5) × 1–2 mm.

Peduncles

absent.

absent.

Involucres

appressed to branches, turbinate, 1.5–2.5 × 1–2 mm, tomentose, rarely glabrous;

teeth 5, erect, 0.4–1 mm.

somewhat appressed to branches, campanulate, 1–2 × 1–2 mm, pilose;

teeth 5, lobelike, spreading to somewhat reflexed, 0.7–1.5 mm.

Flowers

(1–)1.5–2 mm;

perianth white, becoming pink or red, glabrous;

tepals dimorphic, those of outer whorl broadly fan-shaped, those of inner whorl oblanceolate;

stamens included, 1–1.5 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

(1–)1.5–2 mm;

perianth yellow, rarely pale yellow, hispidulous and glandular with yellowish-white hairs;

tepals monomorphic, oblong-lanceolate to oblong-ovate;

stamens included, 0.7–1.5 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

Achenes

dark brown, 3-gonous, 1–1.3 mm.

light brown, 3-gonous, 1.5–2 mm.

2n

= 26.

Eriogonum polycladon

Eriogonum divaricatum

Phenology Flowering year-round. Flowering May–Oct.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly washes, flats, and slopes, saltbush, creosote bush, greasewood, blackbrush, and sagebrush communities, oak, pinyon and/or juniper, and montane conifer woodlands Heavy clay flats and slopes, saltbush, greasewood, and sagebrush communities, pinyon-juniper woodlands
Elevation (200-)500-2200(-2500) m ((700-)1600-7200(-8200) ft) 1100-2300(-2500) m (3600-7500(-8200) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; TX; UT; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eriogonum polycladon is widely distributed from near Needles, San Bernardino County, California (where not found since the 1930s), eastward to western Texas, and from southern Utah throughout much of central and southern Arizona into western and southern New Mexico. It is found also in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Durango, and Sonora. It can be locally common and occasionally weedy, especially in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.

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

Eriogonum divaricatum basically is a species of the Colorado Plateau of southwestern Wyoming (Sublette, Sweetwater, and Uinta counties), eastern Utah (Carbon, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Kane, San Juan, Sevier, and Wayne counties), western Colorado (Mesa and Montezuma counties), northern Arizona (Apache, Coconino, and Navajo counties), and northwestern New Mexico (McKinley and San Juan counties), where it is infrequent to common but only rarely abundant. There are several disjunct populations well removed from that core area; the species occurs in Beaver and Millard counties of west-central Utah, and in Clayhole Valley, Mohave County, Arizona. In New Mexico, it was found around San Ysidro, Sandoval County, in 1926. The most extreme disjunctions were two populations found in Argentina during the growing season of 1899–1900. Those plants were named Eriogonum ameghinoi Spegazzini, which ultimately became the only species of the genus Sanmartinia M. Buchinger. Probably introduced there by migrating birds, the species did not persist in South America (J. L. Reveal 1981b).

The divergent wild buckwheat was used ceremonially by the Navajo (Diné) people in one of their snake dances, and portions of the plant were smoked in the treatment of snakebite (A. Clifford, pers. comm.; L. C. Wyman and S. K. Harris 1951).

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 428. FNA vol. 5, p. 429.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Oregonium Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Oregonium
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. 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. 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. 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. densum, E. vimineum var. densum, E. vimineum subsp. polycladon
Name authority Bentham: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 14: 16. (1856) Hooker: Hooker’s J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 5: 265. (1853)
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