The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Wooton's buckwheat, Wooton's wild buckwheat

mark's wild buckwheat, son's buckwheat

Habit Herbs, erect, 4–5 × 3–5 dm, tomentose to floccose. Herbs, spreading, not scapose, 1–3.5 × 1–4 dm, tomentose, greenish.
Stems

caudex absent;

aerial flowering stems erect, stout, solid, not fistulose, arising directly from a taproot, 1–2.5 dm, tomentose to floccose.

spreading, without persistent leaf bases, up to 1/4 height of plant;

caudex stems absent;

aerial flowering stems slightly erect, slender, solid, not fistulose, 1–2(–2.5) dm, tomentose.

Leaves

basal, not in rosettes;

petiole 2–5 cm, tomentose to floccose;

blade elliptic, (2.5–)3–6.5 × 1.5–3 cm, densely whitish- to tannish-tomentose abaxially, thinly tomentose to floccose and greenish adaxially, margins entire, plane.

sheathing up stem 0.5–2(–3) cm, 1 per node;

petiole (1–)2–3 cm, tomentose;

blade elliptic, 2–2.5(–3) × (0.8–)1–1.3 cm, densely white-tomentose abaxially, less so and greenish-tomentose adaxially, margins plane.

Inflorescences

compound-umbellate, 5–15 × 5–20 cm;

branches tomentose to floccose;

bracts 3–6, leaflike at proximal node, 2–4(–5) × 0.7–1.8 cm, often scalelike distally.

cymose-umbellate, 3–10(–15) × 3–5(–8) cm;

branches dichotomous, tomentose;

bracts 3, scalelike, triangular, and 1–2 mm, or leaflike, lanceolate, and 5–10(–12) × (1.5–)2–4(–5) mm.

Peduncles

absent.

Involucres

1 per node, campanulate, 3–6 × 3–7 mm, thinly floccose;

teeth 5–7, erect, 0.3–0.6 mm.

1 per node, rarely 2 per cluster, turbinate-campanulate, 2.5–4 × 2–3 mm, tomentose;

teeth 5, erect, 0.5–0.8 mm.

Flowers

4–7(–9) mm, including 1–1.5 mm stipelike base;

perianth bright yellow, densely pubescent abaxially;

tepals dimorphic, those of outer whorl lanceolate to elliptic, 3–6 × 1.5–2.5, those of inner whorl elliptic, 5–9 × 2–3.5 mm;

stamens exserted, 3–5 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

2–2.5(–3) mm;

perianth bright yellow, glabrous;

tepals connate proximal 1/4–1/3, monomorphic, oblong to obovate;

stamens exserted, 2.5–4 mm;

filaments pilose proximally.

Achenes

light brown to brown, 4–8 mm, glabrous except for sparsely pubescent beak.

brown, 2–3 mm, glabrous.

Eriogonum wootonii

Eriogonum natum

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat Sandy to gravelly slopes, sagebrush communities, montane conifer woodlands Alkaline clay flats, saltbush communities
Elevation 2000-2800 m (6600-9200 ft) 1400-1600 m (4600-5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Eriogonum wootonii is known only from the San Francisco Mountains of Lincoln and Otero counties in southern New Mexico. It is related to, but significantly disjunct from, E. arcuatum, and is part of a three-species complex that includes E. correllii of northern Texas and E. allenii of Virginia and West Virginia, and that skips across the central United States, the result of fragmentation associated with the southward push of Pleistocene glaciation.

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

Of conservation concern.

Eriogonum natum is known only from Millard County, where it occurs near Sevier Lake. It is probably a recently evolved species, as its entire habitat was submerged under pluvial Lake Bonneville until some 10,000 years ago. Now isolated and morphologically distinct, it probably originated from E. brevicaule var. cottamii, a plant of limestone outcrops in the hills to the north and east. The species is worthy of introduction into the garden. An unnumbered M. E. Jones collection of E. natum dated 6 June 1913 (POM, UTC) supposedly was collected at Moab, Grand County. There is a question mark above the label on the POM sheet, and whoever added it may have been aware that the sheet was mislabeled.

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

Source FNA vol. 5, p. 370. FNA vol. 5, p. 269.
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. ursinum, E. vestitum, E. villiflorum, E. vimineum, E. viridescens, E. viridulum, E. viscidulum, E. visheri, E. watsonii, E. wetherillii, 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. 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
Synonyms E. jamesii var. wootonii E. spathulatum var. natum
Name authority (Reveal) Reveal: Harvard Pap. Bot. 9: 206. (2003) Reveal: Great Basin Naturalist 35: 363. (1976)
Web links