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bear buckwheat, Bear Valley buckwheat, Bear Valley wild buckwheat

few-flower wild buckwheat, fewflower buckwheat, manybranch eriogonum

Habit Herbs, spreading, matted, synoecious, 0.5–4 × (1.5–)2–8(–12), thinly tomen-tose to floccose or glabrate. Herbs, loosely matted, usually scapose, 0.5–2 × 0.5–3 dm, tomentose, grayish.
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.

spreading, usually with persistent leaf bases, up to 1/4 height of plant;

caudex stems matted;

aerial flowering stems scapelike, erect or nearly so, slender, solid, not fistulose, 0.3–2 dm, tomentose.

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.

fasciculate in terminal tufts, sometimes 1 per node and sheathing up stem 1–5 cm;

petiole 1–5 cm, tomentose to lanate;

blade linear-oblanceolate to oblanceolate or narrowly spatulate to elliptic, 1–4 × 0.1–1 cm, grayish- or whitish-tomentose abaxially, less so to subglabrous (or rarely glabrous) adaxially or white-lanate on both surfaces, margins plane.

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.

capitate, subcapitate, or cymose-umbellate, 1–5 × 1–2 cm;

branches absent or dichotomous;

bracts 2–6, linear to lanceolate, scalelike to semileaflike, 1.5–20 × 1–5 mm.

Peduncles

absent.

Involucres

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

teeth 5–8, erect, 0.5–2 mm.

1 per node or 2–5(–7) per cluster, narrowly turbinate, (3.5–)4–5 × (1.5–)2–3 mm, rigid, floccose to tomentose;

teeth 5, erect, 0.5–0.8 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.

2–2.5 mm;

perianth whitish brown to rose, pubescent, rarely glabrous;

tepals connate proximal 1/3, monomorphic, oblong;

stamens exserted, 2.5–3 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

Achenes

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

light brown to brown, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous.

Eriogonum ursinum

Eriogonum pauciflorum

Phenology Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat Clay to gravelly flats, washes, and slopes, grassland and sagebrush communities, juniper woodlands
Elevation 600-1800 m (2000-5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; MT; ND; NE; SD; WY; MB; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Eriogonum pauciflorum is the common, matted wild buckwheat on the Great Plains. The species occurs in southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, northeastern Colorado, Montana, western Nebraska, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Plants from southeastern Wyoming, northeastern Colorado and western Nebraska have somewhat broader leaf blades (spatulate to elliptic rather than linear-oblanceolate to oblanceolate) that are densely tomentose to lanate on both surfaces (rather than loosely tomentose abaxially and less so or glabrous adaxially). Such plants have been distinguished as var. gnaphalodes. This expression would be worthy of a place in the rock garden. A hybrid between var. pauciflorum and E. effusum has been named E. ×nebraskense Rydberg (see 2. E. effusum). The hybrid is known from Weld County, Colorado, Cheyenne, Dawes, Kimball, and Sioux counties, Nebraska, and Converse and Platte counties, Wyoming.

(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. 284.
Parent taxa Polygonaceae > subfam. Eriogonoideae > Eriogonum > subg. Oligogonum 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. 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. 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. 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. depauperatum, E. gnaphalodes, E. multiceps, E. pauciflorum var. gnaphalodes
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 10: 347. (1875) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 735. (1813)
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