Eriogonum ovalifolium
Eriogonum ovalifolium is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name cushion buckwheat. It is native to western North America from California to Alberta, where it is a member of many plant communities in varied habitats.
| Eriogonum ovalifolium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| var. ovalifolium | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Polygonaceae |
| Genus: | Eriogonum |
| Species: | E. ovalifolium |
| Binomial name | |
| Eriogonum ovalifolium | |
Description
There are many varieties of this species but in general it is a tough perennial herb which forms mats in gravelly soil or amongst rocks and produces erect inflorescences up to 35 centimeters in height. The pale green to gray leaves at the base of the plant are rounded and woolly and have petioles.
The clumps of flowers are yellow, light red or pink, purple, or white.
Variety nivale is found at subalpine and alpine elevations west of the Rocky Mountain crest. The leaves are densely covered with white wooly matted hair.
Varieties
There are four[1] to eleven[2] varieties of this species. They include:
- Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum, the Cushenbury buckwheat, is endemic to the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California.[1] It is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States, and the main threat to its existence is mining.[1]
- Eriogonum ovalifolium var. williamsiae, the steamboat buckwheat, is known only from the Steamboat Hills near Reno, Nevada.[3] It is also a federally listed endangered species, and threats to it have been reduced but the populations are still quite small.[3]
References
- USFWS. Cushenbury Buckwheat Five-year Review. August 2009.
- Eriogonum ovalifolium. Flora of North America.
- USFWS. Steamboat Buckwheat Five-year Review. March 2009.
External links
Media related to Eriogonum ovalifolium at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Eriogonum ovalifolium at Wikispecies- Jepson Manual Treatment
- USDA Plants Profile
- The Nature Conservancy
- Photo gallery
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