''Eriogonum codium'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names basalt desert buckwheat and Umtanum Desert wild buckwheat. It 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 ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

in the United States, where it is known only from Hanford Reach National Monument in Benton County. It was discovered in 1995''Eriogonum codium''.
The Nature Conservancy. during an inventory of the

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

of the monument''Eriogonum codium''.
Center for Plant Conservation.''Eriogonum codium''.
USFWS Species Assessment and Listing Priority Assignment Form. and described to science in 1997.''Eriogonum codium''.
Flora of North America.

Description

This

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

forms a mat of stems around its branching

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...

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

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 ...

s atop the stems contain tiny woolly "lemon yellow" flowers. Flowering occurs in May through August. Analysis of

growth rings Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...

in the stems of plants reveal that individuals may reach 100 years old or older.

Distribution and habitat

There is only one known population of this plant. As of 2005 it contained 4418 individuals. The population occurs on a rocky ridge 2.5 kilometers long by 30 meters wide. The ridge is composed of a

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or und ...

which is part of the Wanapum Basalt, a

geological formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

. The plants grow on substrates of basalt with a

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular vol ...

soil covering. The substrates are exposed and experience harsh conditions with high winds. The habitat is shrubsteppe. Associated plants include ''

Grayia spinosa ''Grayia'' may refer to: * ''Grayia'' (snake), a genus of African water snakes * ''Grayia'' (plant), a genus of desert shrubs in the family Amaranthaceae {{Genus disambiguation ...

'', ''

Salvia dorrii ''Salvia dorrii'', the purple sage, Dorr's sage, fleshy sage, mint sage, or tobacco sage, is a perennial spreading shrub in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to mountain areas in the western United States and northwestern Arizona, found mainly ...

'', '' Phacelia linearis'', ''

Cryptantha pterocarya ''Cryptantha pterocarya'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name wingnut cryptantha. It is native to the western United States where it grows in many types of habitat. It is an annual herb producing a stem ...

'', '' Camissonia minor'', and ''

Bromus tectorum ''Bromus tectorum'', known as downy brome, drooping brome or cheatgrass, is a winter annual grass native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and northern Africa, but has become invasive in many other areas. It now is present in most of Europe, southe ...

''. Western harvester ants (''Pogonomyrmex occidentalis'') collect, transport, and apparently consume the seeds of the plant.

Conservation

The main threat to the plant is probably fire. In 1996 a fire at the

Yakima Training Center The Yakima Training Center (YTC) is a United States Army training center, used for maneuver training, Land Warrior system testing and as a live fire exercise area. It is located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Washington, bounde ...

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 An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...

of plants such as cheatgrass (''Bromus tectorum''), and the cover of cheatgrass then increases the likelihood and severity of fire.

Firefighting Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter. Firefighters typically ...

activity may damage the plants. 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 Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

are also a potential, but not an immediate threat.

Rock collecting Amateur geology or rock collecting (also referred to as rockhounding in the United States and Canada) is the non-professional study and hobby of collecting rocks and minerals or fossil specimens from the natural environment.Sinkankas, John. Minera ...

activity has been noted to occur on the ridge. This species is a candidate for federal protection.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5389355 codium Flora of Washington (state) Benton County, Washington Plants described in 1997