''Eriogonum brandegeei'' (sometimes spelled ''brandegei'')''Eriogonum brandegeei''.
NatureServe. is a species of flowering plant in the

buckwheat family The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 ...

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.

Description

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 pinkAnderson, D.G. (2006, February 27)
''Eriogonum brandegeei'' Reveal (Brandegee’s buckwheat): A technical conservation assessment.
nline USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. flowers. Flowering occurs in July through October.''Eriogonum brandegeei''.
Flora of North America. The plant turns purple during the winter.

Distribution and habitat

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 The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Late Jurassic, Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock found in the western United States which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandsto ...

, 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. Associated plants include ''

Atriplex canescens ''Atriplex canescens'' (or chamiso, chamiza, four-wing saltbush) is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Amaranthaceae native to the western and midwestern United States. Description ''Atriplex canescens'' has a highly variable form, and ...

'', '' Opuntia imbricata'', ''

Bouteloua gracilis ''Bouteloua gracilis'', the blue grama, is a long-lived, warm-season (C4 carbon fixation, C4) Perennial plant, perennial grass, native to North America. It is most commonly found from Alberta, Canada, east to Manitoba and south across the Rocky ...

'', ''

Oryzopsis hymenoides ''Eriocoma hymenoides'' (common names: Indian ricegrass and sand rice grass) is a cool-season, perennial bunchgrass with narrow, rolled leaf blades.Mojave Desert Wildflowers, Pam MacKay, 2nd Ed., p287 It is native to western North America east of ...

'', '' Aristida fendleriana'', ''

Sphaeralcea coccinea ''Sphaeralcea coccinea'', the scarlet globemallow, is a perennial plant growing 10–30 cm tall from spreading rhizomes with a low habit. They have grayish stems with dense, star-shaped hairs and alternately arranged leaves. The leaf blades ...

'', ''

Cleome serrulata ''Cleome serrulata'' (syn. ''Peritoma serrulata''), commonly known as Rocky Mountain beeplant/beeweed, stinking-clover, bee spider-flower, skunk weed, Navajo spinach, and guaco, is a species of annual plant in the genus ''Cleome''. Many species o ...

'', ''

Melilotus alba ''Melilotus albus'', known as honey clover, white melilot (UK), Bokhara clover (Australia), white sweetclover (USA), and sweet clover, is a nitrogen-fixing legume in the family Fabaceae. ''Melilotus albus'' is considered a valuable honey plant ...

'', ''

Salsola iberica ''Salsola'' is a genus of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus ''sensu stricto'' is distributed in central and southwestern Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. A common name of various members of this genus and ...

'', '' Kochia iranica'', ''

Melilotus officinalis ''Melilotus officinalis'', known as sweet yellow clover, yellow melilot, ribbed melilot and common melilot, is a species of legume native to Eurasia and introduced in North America, Africa, and Australia. Description ''Melilotus officinalis'' c ...

'', and ''

Bouteloua curtipendula ''Bouteloua curtipendula'', commonly known as sideoats grama, is a perennial, short prairie grass that is native throughout the temperate and tropical Western Hemisphere, from Canada south to Argentina. The species epithet comes from Latin "sh ...

''.

Conservation

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. 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. Despite threats and limited available habitat, the species appears to be stable.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5389347 brandegeei Flora of Colorado