8) Eriogonum (Wild Buckwheat)

Greetings,

This past summer I had the privilege of seeing this form of Eriogonum ovalifolium blooming on the 9,000'< (2750 m) crest of the Steens Mountain in South Eastern Oregon. I was participating in an Eriogonum Society field trip lead by Dr James Reveal and Professor Don Mansfield. There were discussions as to whither this population was variety depressum or variety nivale. Dr Reveal felt it would need further study before it could definitively be assigned to a specific variety.
I am therefore calling it the 'Steens Mountain Form'.

An interesting scientific pdf for those wanting to germinate eriogonums native to Utah:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCoQ...

The form of Eriogonum umbellatum that occurs in Alberta is var. subalpinum, which differs from var. umbellatum, the variety that occurs in closest geographic proximity, most prominently by its flower colour - pale yellow or greenish white, tinged with rose as it dries, as opposed to the bright yellow of the latter.

Eriogonum umbellatum is found widely across the western states of AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY, and Canada in BC and AB. With over thirty widely spread varieties, it is also one of the most diverse of the Genus. Found from the high alpine ridges down to the high desert basin environments.

This larger member of the Genus can be found in eight varieties (according to Dr. Reveal's new Identification Manual for Eriogonum) across the semi-desert shrublands, woodlands, rocky out croppings and drainages of the Colorado Plateau. It's range covers central and eastern UT, northern AZ, & NM, western CO, southwestern WY and the southern tip of NV.

Eriogonum ochrocephalum is found growing in the sagebrush, saltbrush and juniper woodland comunities of northwestern Nevada and north eastern California from 4000' - 5500' (1300m-1700m). It is grows on exposed volcanic clay slopes and blooms from late May-early July. Flowers are yellow, the infloresence is capitate held 3-4” above the foliage. The leaves are oblanceolate to elliptic and densely tomentose on the upper surface, slightly less so on the lower surface.

Eriogonum heermannii var. humilius is a domed airy shrub of the sagebrush and saltbrush comunities in the Great Basin. Found growing in the moderatly deep sandy deposites of arroyas and drainages.The bright green stems are heavily branched at all the nodes and the few leaves it has, are located on the lower branches. They drop off early in the heat of summer giving it a stark skeletal appearance. From a distance it looks like a thorny desert dweller. When you give it a closer inspection you realize that it is not armed with spines, just stiff tapered twigs.

Here is a rare Eriogonum.
Eriogonum diatomaceum is considered critically endangered by the state of Nevada and has been put forward as a candidate for federal protection. Therefore seed is not currently available. (sorry :-[)
Not as showy as some but still nice enough. This one has a very long blooming season of well over two months. Starting in early June and going into mid August.
The slopes this grows on, are stark white diatomaceous deposits cobbled with dark volcanic rock.