''Eriogonum molle'', known by common name as the Cedros soft buckwheat,
is a species of
wild buckwheat endemic to
Cedros Island
Cedros Island (''Isla de Cedros'', "island of cedars" in Spanish) is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the state of Baja California, Mexico. The dry and rocky island had a population of 1,350 in 2005 and has an area of which includes ...
, Mexico.
Description
A shrubby plant, the leafy branches of ''Eriogonum molle'' reach about a foot or two high. The leaves are
oblong
An oblong is a non-square rectangle.
Oblong may also refer to:
Places
* Oblong, Illinois, a village in the United States
* Oblong Township, Crawford County, Illinois, United States
* A strip of land on the New York-Connecticut border in the Unit ...
, and obtuse at both ends, and are 2 to 4 inches long, attached to
petioles nearly as long,
cinereous
Cinereous is a colour, meaning ashy grey in appearance, either consisting of or resembling ashes, or a grey colour tinged with coppery brown. It is derived from the Latin ''cinereus'', from ''cinis'' (ashes).
The first recorded use of ''cinere ...
above and beneath, with a dense, short, velvety pubescence and altogether devoid of white wool. The
involucres are few, many-flowered, and
corymbose
Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial re ...
on top of stout, naked peduncles that are a foot or two long.
Taxonomy
This species was discovered by
Edward Lee Greene
Edward Lee Greene (August 20, 1843–November 10, 1915) was an American botanist known for his numerous publications including the two-part ''Landmarks of Botanical History'' and the describing of over 4,400 species of plants in the American W ...
on a journey to the northern end of Cedros Island. He later described it in the first volume of ''Pittonia''.
Distribution and habitat
This plant is only known from the rocky, extreme northern end of Cedros Island, scattered along summits and ridges.
It shares a community with primarily
succulent
In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...
species, such as ''
Agave sebastiana'', ''
Dudleya albiflora
''Dudleya albiflora'', known by the common name white-flower liveforever, is a species of succulent perennial plant in the family Crassulaceae. It is native to the Baja California Peninsula. This species represents numerous populations with var ...
'' and ''
Dudleya pachyphytum'', all fed by the marine fog that frequently covers the northern end of the island.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15593544
Flora of Baja California
molle
MOLLE (pronounced ,, homophonic with the name Molly) is an acronym for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. It is used to define the current generation of load-bearing equipment and backpacks used by a number of NATO armed forces, espe ...
Taxa named by Edward Lee Greene
Plants described in 1888