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Matted wild buckwheat, tall buckwheat, tall wild buckwheat

spreading buckwheat, strawflower wild buckwheat

Habit Herbs, erect to spreading, perennial, 1–6 dm, glabrous, often glaucous, grayish. Shrubs, spreading, not scapose, 1.5–3(–4) × 3–8 dm, floccose and dark green.
Stems

caudex compact to spreading;

aerial flowering stems erect, solid, not fistulose, 0.4–4 dm, glabrous, often glaucous.

spreading, often without persistent leaf bases, up to 1/3 height of plant;

caudex stems absent;

aerial flowering stems erect to slightly spreading, slender, solid, not fistulose, 0.02–0.04 dm, floccose.

Leaves

basal or sheathing up stem 3–8 cm;

petiole 0.4–4 cm, tomentose;

blade elliptic to deltoid or ovate to suborbiculate or orbiculate, 0.3–3 × 0.2–3 cm, densely white-tomentose and grayish on both surfaces, margins plane.

cauline, 1 per node;

petiole 0.2–0.7 cm, floccose;

blade linear to linear-oblanceolate, (2–)3–6 × 0.1–0.3 cm, densely tomentose abaxially, floccose and green adaxially, margins revolute.

Inflorescences

cymose, open, erect to spreading, 5–40 × 5–40 cm;

branches glabrous;

bracts 3, scalelike, 1–3 × 0.5–2 mm.

cymose, compact, 0.5–1.3(–1.6) dm;

branches dichotomous, floccose to nearly glabrous;

bracts 3, scalelike, triangular, 0.5–2 mm.

Peduncles

erect or spreading, straight, slender, 0.6–6 cm, glabrous.

absent or erect, 0.5–2.5 cm, floccose.

Involucres

turbinate to turbinate-campanulate, 2–4 × 1.5–3(–4) mm, glabrous but tomentose adaxially;

teeth 5, erect or nearly so, 0.5–1 mm.

1 per node, turbinate, 2.5–3 × 1–2 mm, floccose or glabrous;

teeth 5, erect, 0.3–0.6 mm.

Flowers

1.5–3.5 mm;

perianth white to pink with greenish to reddish midribs, becoming pinkish or orange-brown to red, glabrous;

tepals dimorphic, those of outer whorl ovate to obovate or cordate to suborbiculate, those of inner whorl narrowly oblong to oblong;

stamens included, 1–1.5 mm;

filaments sparsely pilose proximally.

2–2.5(–3) mm;

perianth white, becoming rose, glabrous;

tepals connate proximal 1/4, essentially monomorphic, elliptic to obovate;

stamens exserted, 2.5–4.5 mm;

filaments sparsely pilose.

Achenes

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

brown, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous.

Eriogonum tenellum

Eriogonum helichrysoides

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Clay slopes or chalky limestone outcrops, mixed grassland communities
Elevation 900-1100 m (3000-3600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; NM; OK; TX; including Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
KS
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Eriogonum helichrysoides is limited to west-central Kansas (Ellis, Gove, Lane, Logan, Scott, and Trego counties). The plants’ dark green color and narrow leaf blades readily segregate the species from E. effusum.

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

Key
1. Leaves basal; caudex stem blades 0.3-1.5 × 0.3-1 cm; compact; se Colorado, e New Mexico, w Oklahoma, n and w Texas
var. tenellum
1. Leaves sheathing up stems; caudex stem blades 0.3-3 × 0.2-3 cm; compact to spreading; Texas
→ 2
2. Leaf blades elliptic to deltoid, 0.3-1.2 × 0.2-0.7 cm; caudex stems spreading; c Texas
var. ramosissimum
2. Leaf blades ovate to suborbiculate or orbiculate, 1-3 × 1-3 cm; caudex stems compact to slightly spreading; sw Texas
var. platyphyllum
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 400. FNA vol. 5, p. 248.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Ganysma Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Eucycla
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. 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. 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. 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. tenellum var. platyphyllum, E. tenellum var. ramosissimum, E. tenellum var. tenellum
Synonyms E. microthecum subsp. helichrysoides, E. effusum subsp. helichrysoides, E. effusum var. rosmarnioides
Name authority Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 2: 241. (1827) (Gandoger) Prain: in B. D. Jackson et al., Index Kew., suppl. 4: 82. (1913)
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