Eriogonum brevicaule var. cottamii

(S. Stokes) Reveal

Great Basin Naturalist 32: 113. 1972.

Common names: Cottam’s wild buckwheat
Endemic
Basionym: Eriogonum tenellum subsp. cottamii S. Stokes Eriogonum, 70. 1936 (as cottami)
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 5. Treatment on page 266. Mentioned on page 264, 265, 270.

Plants erect, 1–3.5 × 2–5 dm. Aerial flowering stems erect, 0.5–2 dm, tomentose. Leaves: blade narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic; leaf blades (2–)3–4(–4.5) × 0.3–0.5(–0.7) cm, margins plane. Inflorescences cymose, usually divided 3 or more times, 2–7 cm; branches tomentose. Involucres usually 1 per node, turbinate, 2–3(–3.5) × 1.5–2(–2.5) mm, tomentose. Flowers (2.5–)3–4 mm; perianth yellow, glabrous.


Phenology: Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat: Gravelly limestone slopes and clay hills, sagebrush communities, oak and pinyon-juniper woodlands
Elevation: 1300-2100 m

Discussion

Variety cottamii is infrequent in the desert ranges west of the Wasatch Range in eastern portions of Juab, Millard, and Tooele counties, the southwestern corner of Salt Lake County, and in western Utah County. The attractive tomentum of Cottam’s wild buckwheat changes from a gray to tannish- or reddish-brown as the plant matures, and the species is worthy of horticultural consideration. The narrow leaf blades of var. cottamii readily distinguish it from the more western E. natum.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
James L. Reveal +
(S. Stokes) Reveal +
Eriogonum tenellum subsp. cottamii +
Cottam’s wild buckwheat +
1300-2100 m +
Gravelly limestone slopes and clay hills, sagebrush communities, oak and pinyon-juniper woodlands +
Flowering Jun–Sep. +
Great Basin Naturalist +
Eriogonum campanulatum subsp. brevicaule +
Eriogonum brevicaule var. cottamii +
Eriogonum brevicaule +
variety +