Eriogonum saxatile |
Eriogonum exaltatum |
|
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hoary buckwheat, hoary wild buckwheat, rock buckwheat |
ladder buckwheat, ladder wild buckwheat |
|
Habit | Herbs, loosely to densely matted, not scapose, (1–)2–4 × 0.5–2 dm, densely white- or grayish-lanate to tomentose or floccose. | Herbs, erect, annual, (0.5–)3–6(–10) dm, glabrous, glaucous, grayish. |
Stems | spreading, often with persistent leaf bases, up to 1/4 height of plant; caudex stems matted, decumbent to spreading; aerial flowering stems spreading to erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, 0.5–1.5 dm, lanate to tomentose or floccose. |
caudex absent; aerial flowering stems erect, solid, not fistulose, (0.5–)1–2 dm, glabrous. |
Leaves | basal or sheathing up stems 4 cm, 1 per node or fasciculate at tips of caudex branches; proximal leaves: petiole 1–3(–4) cm, tomentose, blade obovate to rounded, 1–2(–2.5) × 1–2 cm, lanate to tomentose; distal leaves sessile, blade elliptic to rounded, 0.3–1 × 0.3–1 cm, lanate to tomentose. |
basal; petiole 1–10 cm, tomentose; blade sub-cordate to orbiculate, (1.5–)2–5(–8) × (1.5–)2–5(–8) cm, densely white-tomentose abaxially, floccose to subglabrous and green adaxially, margins often wavy. |
Inflorescences | cymose, 10–25 × 5–12 cm; branches dichotomous, lanate to tomentose or floccose; bracts 3–4, scalelike, triangular, 1.5–7 mm. |
cymose, spreading when immature, quickly becoming narrowly erect and strict with whiplike branches, (5–)10–50(–80) × 10–50 cm; branches glabrous, glaucous; bracts 3, scalelike, 1–1.5(–2) × 0.4–1 mm. |
Peduncles | absent. |
absent or erect, straight, slender, 0.1–0.2 cm, glabrous. |
Involucres | 1 per node, turbinate, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, tomentose to floccose; teeth 5–6, erect, 0.8–1.5 mm. |
turbinate, 2–2.5(–3) × 1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous; teeth 5, erect, 0.5–1.5 mm. |
Flowers | (3–)5–7 mm, including elongate, sharply triangular, slightly winged, stipelike base; perianth white to rose or yellowish, glabrous; tepals connate proximally, dimorphic, those of outer whorl oblanceolate to lanceolate, 3–5 × 1.5–2 mm, those of inner whorl obovate, 4–6 × 2–3 mm; stamens included to slightly exserted, 2.5–5 mm; filaments pilose proximally. |
1.5–2 mm; perianth white with green or reddish midribs, becoming pinkish, glabrous; tepals dimorphic, those of outer whorl oblong, those of inner whorl lanceolate; stamens exserted, 1.5–2.5 mm; filaments pilose proximally. |
Achenes | 3-gonous, nearly winged, 3.5–4 mm, glabrous. |
dark brown to blackish, 3-gonous, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous. |
2n | = 40. |
= 40. |
Eriogonum saxatile |
Eriogonum exaltatum |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Oct. | Flowering May–Oct. |
Habitat | Decomposed granitic or volcanic flats, slopes, and ridges, chaparral, saltbush, and sagebrush communities, pinyon-juniper and montane conifer woodlands | Sandy to gravelly flats and slopes, saltbush, creosote bush, greasewood, blackbrush, and mesquite communities, rarely in pinyon-juniper woodlands |
Elevation | (300-)800-3400(-3500) m ((1000-)2600-11200(-11500) ft) | 500-1400 m (1600-4600 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; NV
|
AZ; CA; NV; UT |
Discussion | Eriogonum saxatile is found mainly in arid mountains of California (Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Monterey, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura counties) and Nevada (Esmeralda and western Nye counties). The plants vary considerably as to robustness, degree of branching, and sprawl of the caudex. The size and position of the leaves also vary, as does the density of tomentum on the blades. Flower color varies from white to rose or yellowish, but the deep yellow of E. crocatum is never seen in E. saxatile. The species is frequently cultivated and is an excellent plant for the rock garden. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Eriogonum insigne has been a troublesome taxon. The type, collected by E. Palmer in 1876, is a curious specimen from near Paragonah in Iron County, Utah. That expression has not been recollected and, after another frustrating review of the type material, it is now referred to E. deflexum, along with other odd specimens from southern Nevada and California that have always been difficult to assign. As a result, the tall, upright plants with long, whiplike branches of northwestern Arizona (Mohave County), southern Nevada (northeastern Clark and southern Lincoln counties), and southwestern Utah (southwestern Washington County), are now recognized under the name E. exaltatum. Some specimens remain problematic. Immature plants of E. exaltatum (Goodding 2302, GH, MIN, MO, NY, RM, UC) resemble E. bifurcatum. Specimens from Eureka Valley (DeDecker 4741, NY) and western Pahrump Valley (Abrams 14248, DS, GH, NY) in Inyo County, California, appear to belong to E. exaltatum. Like Eriogonum exaltatum, some populations of E. deflexum var. deflexum have nearly erect involucres. The plants from the Buried Hills (Nye and Clark counties, Nevada) are particularly odd. Single plants from a few collections in Kane County, Utah, have sessile, seemingly erect involucres in the forks of inflorescence branches. None of these plants has the characteristic long, whiplike branches of E. exaltatum, and they are not included in E. deflexum var. deflexum. The type of E. deflexum var. rectum from San Bernardino County, California (Reveal & Broome 6385, CAS, NY, US, etc.), has individual specimens with both deflexed and somewhat erect involucres, along with whiplike branches. Collections from Imperial and San Diego counties, previously associated with what is here termed E. exaltatum, are now considered specimens of E. deflexum. Clearly, more work is required to understand these species fully. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 324. | FNA vol. 5, p. 397. |
Parent taxa | Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Eucycla | Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Ganysma |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. saxatile subsp. multicaule | |
Name authority | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 267. (1877) | M. E. Jones: Contr. W. Bot. 15: 61. (1929) |
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