Eriogonum douglasii
Encyclopedia
Eriogonum douglasii is a species of wild buckwheat
known by the common name Douglas' buckwheat. It is native to the western United States, including the Pacific Northwest
and part of the Great Basin
.
This plant forms a mat of hairy herbage around a caudex
. There are rosettes of lance-shaped to oval leaves with blades 0.4 to nearly 2 centimeters long. The leaves are feltlike, covered in woolly hairs. The inflorescence
arises on a solid, erect flowering stem up to 15 centimeters tall with a whorl of bract
s midway up. It is a headlike cluster of cream, yellowish, or rose-pink flowers with protruding stamen
s.
This plant grows in grassland, sagebrush, woodland, and pine forest habitat.
There are three varieties of this species, including vars. douglasii and meridionale. The rare var. elkoense (Sunflower Flat wild buckwheat) is endemic to Elko County, Nevada
.
Eriogonum
Eriogonum is the scientific name for a genus of flowering plants, in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is found in North America and is known as wild buckwheat. This is a highly species-rich genus, and indications are that active speciation is continuing...
known by the common name Douglas' buckwheat. It is native to the western United States, including the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
and part of the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
.
This plant forms a mat of hairy herbage around a caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
. There are rosettes of lance-shaped to oval leaves with blades 0.4 to nearly 2 centimeters long. The leaves are feltlike, covered in woolly hairs. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
arises on a solid, erect flowering stem up to 15 centimeters tall with a whorl of bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s midway up. It is a headlike cluster of cream, yellowish, or rose-pink flowers with protruding stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s.
This plant grows in grassland, sagebrush, woodland, and pine forest habitat.
There are three varieties of this species, including vars. douglasii and meridionale. The rare var. elkoense (Sunflower Flat wild buckwheat) is endemic to Elko County, Nevada
Elko County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 45,291 people, 15,638 households, and 11,493 families residing in the county. The population density was 3/sq mi . There were 18,456 housing units at an average density of 1/sq mi...
.