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, including the sagebrush steppe and alpine regions.[1]

Eriogonum ovalifolium
var. ovalifolium

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Eriogonum
Species:
E. ovalifolium
Binomial name
Eriogonum ovalifolium

Description

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In general, the species is a tough perennial herb which forms mats in gravelly soil or amongst rocks and produces erect inflorescences up to 35 centimeters (14 in) in height, blooming from early to mid-summer.[1] The flowering stems are leafless.[1] 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.[1]

 
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

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There are four[2] to eleven[3] varieties of this species. They include:

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 30. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
  2. ^ a b c USFWS. Cushenbury Buckwheat Five-year Review. August 2009.
  3. ^ Eriogonum ovalifolium. Flora of North America.
  4. ^ a b USFWS. Steamboat Buckwheat Five-year Review. March 2009.
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