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Eriogonum alatum - winged buckwheat

Scientific Family
Polygonaceae
Synonyms
Eriogonum alatum subsp. mogollense
Other common names
winged wild buckwheat
wind wildbuckwheat
wing eriogonum
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
12 to 39 inches
Riparian
No
Herbaceous perennial to 39 inches tall, not woody above the ground; stems often solitary, tall and wand-like, simple to elongated, branching above; herbage green, stiff or soft hairs to hairless, hairs long and fine. Leaves mostly basal.
Long taproot, not woody above ground; stems often solitary, mostly 12 to 39 inches tall, simple below, branched with flowers maturing from the bottom upwards and covered with short, soft hairs to smooth and hairless. Sepals yellow, smooth and hairless.

Habitat

East-facing limestone slope. Juniper woodland on north-facing limestone cobble hillside. Southeast slope in calcareous gravelly sandy loam derived from Martin formation dolostone.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
3500
High elevation
10000

Flower Characteristics

Flowers in an open, flat-top or round-top cluster with long branches, usually covered in short, soft hairs. A whorl of bracts are 1/16 to 1/4 inch long, short-toothed. Sepals are yellowish, 1/16 inch long, smooth and hairless.
Flower color
Yellow
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Rounded

Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaves mostly basal, 1 to 4 inches long, lance-shaped to nearly linear, tapering at the base, blunt or rounded to tapered or pointed at the tip, covered in short, soft hairs to nearly smooth and hairless.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaf attachment
Basal
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No

Fruit and Seed Characteristics

3-angled chamber with seed attached to ovary, yellowish-green to reddish-brown, 1/4 inch long, usually more than half as wide, 3-winged nearly to the base, the wings thin and membranaceous.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Yellowish-green