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bear buckwheat, Bear Valley buckwheat, Bear Valley wild buckwheat

Gregg's buckwheat, Gregg's wild buckwheat

Habit Herbs, spreading, matted, synoecious, 0.5–4 × (1.5–)2–8(–12), thinly tomen-tose to floccose or glabrate. Herbs, polycarpic, 1–4 dm, glandular-puberulent; taproot not chambered.
Stems

caudex spreading;

aerial flowering stems erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, arising at nodes of caudex branches and at distal nodes of short, non-flowering aerial branches, 0.4–4 dm, thinly tomentose to floccose or glabrate.

caudex absent or compact;

aerial flowering stems usually 1, erect or nearly so, not fistulose, 0.5–1.5 dm, glandular-puberulent.

Leaves

in rather compact basal rosettes;

petiole 0.1–1.5 cm, tomentose;

blade elliptic, 0.7–2(–2.2) × 0.4–1(–1.2) cm, or ovate, 0.8–1.4(–2.5) × 0.5–1.2(–2) cm, densely white- or rufous-tomentose abaxially, thinly tomentose, sparsely floccose, or glabrous and greenish adaxially, margins slightly wavy.

basal and cauline;

basal petiolate, petiole often winged, 0.5–2 cm, hispid, blade elliptic to broadly spatulate, 2–6(–10) × 0.5–2(–2.5) cm, hispid and uniformly stipitate-glandular on both surfaces or glabrous except for ciliate midvein and margin;

cauline sessile, blades in whorls of 3–10 per node, oblanceolate, obovate, or spatulate, 0.5–4 × 0.2–1.5(–2) cm, similar to basal blade except more hispid and less glandular adaxially than abaxially, or glabrous except for ciliate midvein and margins.

Inflorescences

compound-umbellate, 1–3(–6) × 1–5 cm, thinly tomentose to glabrate;

bracts: proximal 3–8, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 0.5–2 × 0.25–1 cm, distal 3, semileaflike, midway along branch, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 0.7–1 × 0.1–0.25 cm, or ± scalelike below involucre, 1–5 mm.

1–3 × 1–3 dm;

branches glandular-puberulent;

bracts semileaflike to scalelike, 3–15 × 1–3(–5) mm.

Peduncles

ascending to erect, straight or slightly curving upward, 1–6(–7) cm, glandular and hispid.

Involucres

1 per node, turbinate to turbinate-campanulate, 3.5–8 × 2.5–4 mm, villous;

teeth 5–8, erect, 0.5–2 mm.

campanulate, 1.5–3 × 3–5 mm, slightly to densely strigose and glandular;

teeth 1–1.5 mm.

Flowers

5–7 mm at anthesis, 6.5–9 mm in fruit, including 0.5–0.8 mm stipelike base, with perianth cream or rarely yellow, suffused with blush of pinkish red to maroon, glabrous, or flowers 4–6 mm, including 1–1.3 mm stipelike base, with perianth pale yellow or rarely yellow, not suffused with blush of color glabrous;

tepals slightly dimorphic or monomorphic, broadly ovate or obovate;

stamens exserted, 3–5 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

1.5–2.5 mm in anthesis, 2.5–3.5 mm in fruit;

perianth yellowish white with prominent reddish brown to brown midribs and bases, becoming more reddish in fruit, strigose abaxially;

tepals lanceolate to oblong;

stamens 1.5–2 mm;

filaments glabrous.

Achenes

light brown, (5–)5.5–8 mm or 3–3.5 mm, glabrous except for sparsely pubescent beak.

reddish brown, 3–4 mm, 3-ridged distally, short-beaked, glabrous.

2n

= 32.

Eriogonum ursinum

Eriogonum greggii

Phenology Flowering Jul–May.
Habitat Calcareous flats and slopes, mixed grassland, creosote bush, and saltbush communities
Elevation 50 m (200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Of conservation concern.

Eriogonum greggii just enters the flora area in Hildago and Starr counties, where it is rare. In Mexico, the plants occur in Coahuila and Nuevo León, nearly always below 1850 m. There, Gregg’s wild buckwheat occasionally is found in montane conifer woodlands.

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

Key
1. Flowers 5-9 mm, perianth cream, rarely yellow; achenes (5-)5.5-8 mm; North Coast Ranges, Siskiyou and Trinity counties
var. erubescens
1. Flowers 4-6 mm, perianth pale yellow or rarely yellow; achenes 3-3.5 mm; n Sierra Nevada, Lassen and Shasta counties to Nevada, Placer, Plumas, and Sierra counties
var. ursinum
Source FNA vol. 5, p. 358. FNA vol. 5, p. 377.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Oligogonum Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Pterogonum
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. tomentosum, E. trichopes, E. tripodum, E. truncatum, E. tumulosum, E. twisselmannii, E. umbellatum, 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. 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. ursinum var. erubescens, E. ursinum var. ursinum
Synonyms E. ciliatum var. foliosum
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 10: 347. (1875) Torrey & A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 187. (1870)
Web links