Eriogonum brandegeei | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Polygonaceae |
Genus: | Eriogonum |
Species: | E. brandegeei |
Binomial name | |
Eriogonum brandegeei | |
Eriogonum brandegeei (sometimes spelled brandegei) [1] is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name Brandegee's buckwheat. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it occurs in Fremont and Chaffee Counties. [1]
This plant grows up to about 25 centimeters tall and has grayish woolly herbage. Flowering stems arise from a matted base. All the leaves are located around the base of the plant. They are lance-shaped to somewhat oval and measure up to 4 or 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence atop each aerial stem is 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide and is a cluster of tiny yellowish white or pink [2] flowers. Flowering occurs in July through October. [3] The plant turns purple during the winter. [2]
This plant grows in soils that are high in bentonite. Bentonite soils can host few types of plants, so the landscape is often sparsely vegetated. This species can be found on substrates belonging to or derived from the Dry Union Formation and Morrison Formation, two local geological formations. It can grow on flat ground or steep slopes. The habitat in the area is mainly pinyon-juniper woodland. It can also be found in shrublands within a matrix of plant communities. [2] Associated plants include Atriplex canescens , Opuntia imbricata , Bouteloua gracilis , Oryzopsis hymenoides , Aristida fendleriana , Sphaeralcea coccinea , Cleome serrulata , Melilotus alba , Salsola iberica , Kochia iranica , Melilotus officinalis , and Bouteloua curtipendula . [1]
The worst threat to the species is recreational activity. All occurrences of the plant are affected by off-road vehicle use. The plant grows on slopes that are mostly free of vegetation, terrain that is attractive to off-road vehicle users. Horseback riding may also threaten some occurrences. An increasing threat is residential development, which is encroaching on the area. Fremont County's population grew 43% between 1990 and 2000, making it one of the most rapidly growing counties in the US. Chaffee County also has fast growth at this time. Habitat for this plant has been lost to residential growth. [2]
Bentonite mining is a potential threat, but not a current one. Fossil excavation is a very low-level threat to some occurrences. Livestock grazing is a threat, but an indirect one, as it tends to increase erosion of the substrate. [2] Despite threats and limited available habitat, the species appears to be stable. [1]
Eriogonum apricum is a rare species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Ione buckwheat. It is endemic to Amador County, California, in the United States.
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.
Eriogonum ampullaceum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Mono buckwheat.
Eriogonum spectabile is a rare species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Barron's buckwheat. It is endemic to Plumas County, California, where it is known from two occurrences in Lassen National Forest near Chester. There are approximately 250 individuals in existence. It grows in scrubby, forested mountain habitat, only on glaciated andesite substrates. This rare plant was discovered in 1997 and described to science as a new species in 2001.
Eriogonum gypsophilum is a rare species of wild buckwheat known by the common names Seven River Hills buckwheat and gypsum wild buckwheat. It is endemic to the state of New Mexico in the United States, where it is known from only three sites in Eddy County. It is limited to a specific type of soil which is high in gypsum. The plant has been federally listed as a threatened species of the United States since 1981.
Eriogonum pelinophilum is a rare species of wild buckwheat known by the common name clay-loving wild buckwheat. It is endemic to the state of Colorado in the United States, where it is known from only two counties. The most recent estimates available suggest there are 12 occurrences in existence for a total of about 278,000 individual plants in Delta and Montrose Counties. At least 7 occurrences observed in the past have not been relocated but are not yet believed extirpated. This plant is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.
Lepidium barnebyanum is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Barneby's pepperweed, Barneby's pepper-grass, and Barneby's ridge-cress. It is endemic to Utah, where there is a single population in Duchesne County. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Schoenocrambe argillacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names clay reed-mustard, Uinta Basin plainsmustard, and clay thelypody.
Eriogonum codium is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names basalt desert buckwheat and Umtanum Desert wild buckwheat. It is endemic to Washington in the United States, where it is known only from Hanford Reach National Monument in Benton County. It was discovered in 1995 during an inventory of the biodiversity of the monument and described to science in 1997.
Eriogonum crosbyae is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Crosby's buckwheat. It is native to southcentral Oregon and northwestern Nevada in the United States. Some treatments include plants in Montana and Idaho as members of this species. This plant was first discovered in the Guano Valley in Lake County, Oregon, in 1978 by Bureau of Land Management botanist Virginia Crosby, and it was named for her in 1981.
Eriogonum diatomaceum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Churchill Narrows buckwheat. It is endemic to Nevada in the United States, where it is known only from the Pine Nut Mountains in Lyon County. It is limited to the Churchill Narrows near Fort Churchill State Historic Park. This plant was discovered in 1997 and described to science in 2002.
Eriogonum visheri is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names Dakota wild buckwheat and Visher's buckwheat. It is native to the Great Plains in the United States, where it is known from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.
Mentzelia densa is a species of flowering plant in the Loasaceae known by the common names Royal Gorge blazingstar and Royal Gorge stickleaf. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it occurs in the Arkansas River Valley in Fremont and Chaffee Counties.
Penstemon degeneri is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name Degener's beardtongue. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it occurs in and around the Arkansas River Canyon in Fremont, Custer, and Chaffee Counties.
Eriogonum niveum is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name snow buckwheat. It is native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, where it occurs in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It flowers late in the summer.
Aquilegia laramiensis is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name Laramie columbine. It is endemic to Wyoming in the United States, where it is known only from the Laramie Mountains.
Astragalus ripleyi is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Ripley's milkvetch. It is native to southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States.
Eriogonum coloradense is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name Colorado buckwheat. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States.
Mentzelia chrysantha is a species of flowering plant in the Loasaceae known by the common names gold blazingstar and golden blazingstar. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States.
Eriogonum soredium is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Frisco buckwheat. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from Beaver County. There are four populations, all located in the San Francisco Mountains. It is a candidate for federal protection.