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dogtongue buckwheat, sandhill wild buckwheat

arrow-leaf buckwheat, arrowleaf wild buckwheat, northern buckwheat

Habit Herbs, 5–12 × 2–5 dm, white- to rufous-tomentose. Herbs, erect, infrequently polygamodioecious, 2–4(–7) × 2–5 dm; floccose or glabrous.
Stems

caudex spreading;

aerial flowering stems erect, slender or stout, hollow, often slightly fistulose, arising at nodes of caudex branches and at distal nodes of short, nonflowering aerial branches, 1–5 dm, floccose or glabrous.

Aerial flowering stems

erect, 1.5–7 dm, rounded and smooth.

Leaves

petiole 2–7 cm;

blade oblong to elliptic or spatulate, 4–15 × 1.5–4 cm, densely tomentose abaxially, subglabrous or glabrous adaxially.

basal, occasionally in rosettes;

petiole 4–10(–15) cm, tomentose;

blade lanceolate or ovate to deltoid, (2–)7–25 × (0.7–)1–8 cm, densely white-lanate to tomentose abaxially, less so to glabrate and greenish adaxially, margins entire, plane.

Inflorescences

(3–)5–30 × 3–20 cm;

bracts 3–5, leaflike, ovate to elliptic, 1–6 × 0.5–2.5 cm proximally, semileaflike, usually elliptic, 4–30 × 1–20 mm distally.

umbellate or compound-umbellate, 3–20 × 3–20 cm;

branches floccose or glabrous;

bracts 3–several, leaflike or semileaflike at proximal nodes, linear to linear-lanceolate, 1–3(–6) cm, scalelike distally, usually 1–5 × 0.5–3 mm.

Peduncles

absent.

Involucres

turbinate-campanulate to campanulate, 3–4.5(–5) × 3–5 mm;

teeth 0.1–0.5 mm.

1 per node, turbinate-campanulate to campanulate, 6–10 × 4–10 mm, sparsely to densely lanate, weakly glandular-puberulent, or glabrous;

teeth (5–)7–10, usually not lobelike, erect to weakly reflexed, 2–4 mm.

Flowers

8–13 mm, including 2.5–3.5(–4) mm stipelike base;

perianth cream to light tan, densely tannish- to rusty-lanate abaxially;

tepals dimorphic, those of outer whorl broadly lanceolate, 3–5 × 1.7–2.2 mm, those of inner whorl obovate to nearly orbiculate, 3–6 × 3–4 mm;

stamens 3.5–5 mm;

filaments pilose.

5–6 mm, including 0.7–1.5 mm stipelike base;

perianth pale to bright yellow, occasionally ochroleucous, glabrous;

tepals monomorphic, oblong to oblong-ovate;

stamens slightly exserted, 4–8 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

Achenes

brown, 4.5–5 mm, glabrous.

light brown, 5–6 mm, glabrous except for sparsely pubescent beak.

Eriogonum tomentosum

Eriogonum compositum

Phenology Flowering May–Oct.
Habitat Sandy soil, mixed grassland communities, pine and oak woodlands
Elevation 0-100(-200) m (0-300(-700) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eriogonum tomentosum is widespread in a series of somewhat disjunct populations mainly on the coastal plain. It supposedly is found in North Carolina, but no specimens have been seen. An unnumbered J. K. Small collection from Miami, Florida (Nov. 1904, NY), surely is mislabeled. A Cuthbert collection (30 Jul. 1876, MICH) from Augusta may be from a garden, as that location is well out of the known range of the species. Mark Catesby made the first collections (BM-Sloane, OXF) of the species in the 1720s. T. Walter (1788) ascribed his specimen (BM-Walter) to a European species of Saxifragaceae.

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Eriogonum compositum is one of the more attractive members of the genus and does well in cultivation. The three varieties are only weakly differentiated, and both var. lancifolium and var. leianthum merge with var. compositum. The butterfly Euphilotes enoptes is a pollinator of this species.

The Okanagan-Colville Indians of British Columbia and Washington used plants of Eriogonum compositum as a cold remedy, an antidiarrheal, and a wash for infected cuts. Not surprisingly, children used the hollow, often slightly inflated stems as a toy (N. J. Turner et al. 1980).

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

Key
1. Leaf blades lanceolate; Chelan, Kittitas, Okanogan, and Yakima counties, Washington
var. lancifolium
1. Leaf blades ovate to deltoid; widespread
→ 2
2. Involucres sparsely to densely lanate; n California, wc Idaho, Oregon, and Washington
var. compositum
2. Involucres glabrous or weakly glandular-puberulent; wc Idaho, ne Oregon, and e Washington
var. leianthum
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 330. FNA vol. 5, p. 355.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Eriogonum 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. 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. 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. 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. compositum var. compositum, E. compositum var. lancifolium, E. compositum var. leianthum
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 246, plate 24. (1803) Douglas ex Bentham: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 21: plate 1774. (1835)
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