''Eriogonum alpinum'' is a species of
wild buckwheat known by the common name Trinity buckwheat.
[Jepson eFlora: ''Eriogonum alpinum'']
/ref>[ Calflora: ''Eriogonum alpinum'' ]
/ref>
Description
''Eriogonum alpinum'' is a perennial herb growing in mats, no more than wide and tall. The woolly greenish leaves are rounded and one to three centimeters long.[
The plant produces an erect ]inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
of bright yellow to pinkish flowers, each under a centimeter wide.[
The fruit is an ]achene
An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...
about half a centimeter long.[
]
Distribution and habitat
This rare plant is endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to northern California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.[ It is known from only about ten occurrences in the ]Mount Eddy
Mount Eddy is the highest peak of the Trinity Mountains, a mountain range of the Klamath Mountains System, located in Siskiyou County, and Trinity County in northern California.
The mountain is in the Mount Eddy RNA, a Research Natural Area on t ...
and Cory Peak areas of the Trinity Mountains
The Trinity Mountains are a subrange of the Klamath Mountains, one of the ranges within the California Coast Ranges and part the greater Pacific Coast Ranges, the coastal mountain system extending from Mexico to Alaska. The Trinity Mountains subran ...
, within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in southern Siskiyou County
Siskiyou County (, ) is a county in the northernmost part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,076. Its county seat is Yreka and its highest point is Mount Shasta. It falls within the Cascadia bioregion ...
and northwestern Trinity County.[
It grows in rocky ]serpentine soil
Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially anti ...
s at elevations of , in subalpine coniferous forest, upper montane coniferous forest, and alpine fell-field habitats.[ The Trinity Mountains are a range of the ]Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...
System.
Conservation
This species is a California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is a state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protect ...
listed and a California Native Plant Society
The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a California environmental non-profit organization (501(c)3) that seeks to increase understanding of California's native flora and to preserve it for future generations. The mission of CNPS is to con ...
listed endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
. California Native Plant Society, Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v8-02): ''Eriogonum alpinum''
. accessed 21 September 2016.
See also
*
*
References
External links
Calflora Database: ''Eriogonum alpinum'' (Trinity buckwheat)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Eriogonum alpinum''UC CalPhotos gallery of ''Eriogonum alpinum'' (Trinity buckwheat) images
alpinum
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Klamath Mountains
Natural history of Siskiyou County, California
Natural history of Trinity County, California
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Taxa named by George Engelmann
{{Polygonaceae-stub