Eriogonum codium

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Eriogonum codium
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Eriogonum
Species:
E. codium
Binomial name
Eriogonum codium
Reveal, Caplow & K. Beck

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 [1] during an inventory of the biodiversity of the monument [2] [3] and described to science in 1997. [4]

Contents

Description

This perennial herb forms a mat of stems around its branching caudex and produces erect flowering stems 2 to 9 centimeters high. The plant is greenish in color and woolly in texture. The densely woolly leaves are up to 1.2 centimeters long. The inflorescences atop the stems contain tiny woolly "lemon yellow" flowers. Flowering occurs in May through August. [4] Analysis of growth rings in the stems of plants reveal that individuals may reach 100 years old or older. [3]

Distribution and habitat

There is only one known population of this plant. [2] As of 2005 it contained 4418 individuals. [3] The population occurs on a rocky ridge 2.5 kilometers long by 30 meters wide. [2] The ridge is composed of a basalt lava flow which is part of the Wanapum Basalt, a geological formation. The plants grow on substrates of basalt with a pumice soil covering. [3] The substrates are exposed and experience harsh conditions with high winds. The habitat is shrubsteppe. Associated plants include Grayia spinosa , Salvia dorrii , Phacelia linearis , Cryptantha pterocarya , Camissonia minor , and Bromus tectorum . [2] Western harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) collect, transport, and apparently consume the seeds of the plant. [3]

Conservation

The main threat to the plant is probably fire. In 1996 a fire at the Yakima Training Center traveled out to the ridge and burned the population. About 800 plants, or 15% of the population, died. It is not a fire-tolerant species. The plant appears to be sensitive to heat, and even unburned, merely singed plants died. In addition, the species apparently does not respond positively to fire events as some plants do, by resprouting from the woody base or producing an abundance of new seedlings. Fire also increases the spread of introduced species of plants such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), and the cover of cheatgrass then increases the likelihood and severity of fire. Firefighting activity may damage the plants. [3]

Other threats include off-road vehicle use and trampling on the open ridge where the plants grow. Some of the plants have died after being crushed. Livestock are also a potential, but not an immediate threat. Rock collecting activity has been noted to occur on the ridge. [3]

This species is a candidate for federal protection. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eriogonum</i> Genus of North American wild buckwheats

Eriogonum is 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. It includes some common wildflowers such as the California buckwheat.

<i>Eriogonum ovalifolium</i> Species of wild buckwheat

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.

<i>Eriogonum ampullaceum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum ampullaceum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Mono buckwheat.

Eriogonum argillosum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names clay buckwheat, clay-loving buckwheat, and Coast Range wild buckwheat. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from San Benito and Monterey Counties. It grows on clay substrates, often of serpentine origin. This is an annual herb up to 30 to 60 centimeters tall with a basal patch of oval-shaped, woolly leaves and a naked stem. The top of the stem is occupied by the inflorescence, a cyme with several clusters of tiny white or pink flowers.

<i>Eriogonum brachyanthum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum brachyanthum is a species of wild buckwheat that is commonly known as shortflower buckwheat. It is native to eastern California and western Nevada, particularly the Mojave Desert region, where it is common to abundant, and even sometimes weedy. It is also known from southern Oregon. The plant grows in sandy habitats such as desert flats and sagebrush. It also grows in pinyon-juniper and montane conifer woodlands. It is an annual herb that grows 30 to 40 centimeters tall. Leaves are located at the base of the stem, woolly, and oval or rounded in shape. The top of the stem is occupied by a branching inflorescence bearing many widely spaced clusters of flowers. Each individual flower is about a millimeter wide and light yellow in color. Flowers bloom from April to November.

<i>Eriogonum gracile</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum gracile is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name slender woolly buckwheat.

<i>Eriogonum panamintense</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum panamintense is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Panamint Mountain buckwheat. It is native to several of the desert mountain ranges of eastern California and western Nevada, including the Panamint Range. It grows in various types of mountain ridge habitat, such as sagebrush and coniferous woodland.

Eriogonum evanidum is a rare species of wild buckwheat known by the common name vanishing wild buckwheat. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it has been collected from widely scattered areas. Most historical occurrences are now extirpated. Some sources suggested that it was probably extinct, but living specimens were rediscovered in 2007.

<i>Eriogonum spectabile</i> Species of wild 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.

<i>Eriogonum gypsophilum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

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.

<i>Lepidium barnebyanum</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Eriogonum argophyllum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum argophyllum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names Sulphur Hot Springs buckwheat, Silver Lake buckwheat, and Ruby Valley buckwheat. It is endemic to Nevada in the United States, where there is only one known population.

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.

Senecio ertterae is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Ertter's ragwort. It is endemic to Oregon, United States.

Eriogonum brandegeei 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.

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.

<i>Trifolium friscanum</i> Species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae

Trifolium friscanum is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Frisco clover. It is endemic to the US state of Utah, where it is known only from Beaver and Millard Counties. It is found growing on the San Francisco Mountains, Beaver Lake Mountains, Wah Wah Mountains and Tunnel Springs Mountains. Most individuals live in the San Francisco Mountains, where the highest point is called Frisco Peak. It was originally described as a variety of Trifolium andersonii in 1978, but was elevated to species status in 1993. It occurs over 250 km (160 mi) away from the nearest T. andersonii.

<i>Eriogonum soredium</i> Species of wild buckwheat

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.

References

  1. ↑ Eriogonum codium. The Nature Conservancy.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Eriogonum codium. Center for Plant Conservation.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Eriogonum codium. USFWS Species Assessment and Listing Priority Assignment Form.
  4. 1 2 Eriogonum codium. Flora of North America.
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