''Eriogonum wrightii'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names bastardsage and Wright's buckwheat. It is native to the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

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 ...

, and northwest Mexico, where it grows in many plant communities, such as

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

, in rocky habitats from mountains to deserts.

Description

It is quite variable in appearance; it may be a small perennial herb 10 centimeters tall or a bushy shrub over a meter wide. There are several varieties as well. In general it has basal leaves as well as a few leaves along the stem, which are usually narrow and woolly. 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 ...

has long, straight branches which may be hairless to woolly and have flower clusters and sometimes small leaves at the nodes. The flowers are usually white to light pink.

Taxonomy

Varieties

Sources: * ''Eriogonum wrightii'' var. ''brevifolium'' Reveal (San Borja buckwheat) – An uncommon

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 ...

from the

Sierra de San Borja The Sierra de San Borja, also known as Sierra La Libertad is a mountain range on the Baja California Peninsula of Mexico. It is one of the Peninsular Ranges which form the backbone of Baja California. The Sierra de San Borja is located betwe ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

to the

Tres Vírgenes Tres Vírgenes is a complex of volcanoes located in the Mulegé Municipality in the state of Baja California Sur, on the Baja California Peninsula in northwestern Mexico. This Volcano is part of a volcanic ridge that extends from Baja California ...

Baja California Sur Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...

. * ''Eriogonum wrightii'' var. ''dentatum'' (S. Stokes) Reveal (La Mision buckwheat) – A rare endemic occurring along the mesas and bluffs above the Pacific coast between La Mision and Ensenada, Baja California. * ''Eriogonum wrightii'' var. ''linearifolium'' Reveal (Linear-leaf island buckwheat) – A rare endemic existing on

Angel de la Guarda Island In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

in the

Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...

. * ''Eriogonum wrightii'' var. ''membranaceum'' S. Stokes ex Jeps. (Foothill buckwheat, Ring-stem buckwheat) – In Mexico, this variety occurs in the upper foothills and mountains of the

Sierra de Juarez Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

and the

Sierra de San Pedro Martir Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...

and disjunctly to the south in the Sierra La Asamblea. In the United States, it is found in California, occurring primarily in the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges, which ...

. * ''Eriogonum wrightii'' var. ''nodosum'' (Small) Reveal (Knot-stem buckwheat, bastardsage) – A rare variety occurring in the more arid portions of the southwest. In Mexico, it occurs in Sonora, and the Baja California Peninsula, on the Sierra de Juarez and Sierra de San Pedro Martir south to the Sierra de San Borja in Baja California and on the Cerro Azufre in Baja California Sur. In the United States, it is found in Arizona and California. * ''Eriogonum wrightii'' var. ''olanchense'' (J.T. Howell) Reveal * ''Eriogonum wrightii'' var. ''oresbium'' Reveal (San Pedro Martir buckwheat) – An uncommon variety endemic to the Sierra de Juarez and the Sierra de San Pedro Martir in Baja California, Mexico. Differs from all other forms of the species with its broadly elliptic to nearly oval leaf blades. * ''Eriogonum wrightii'' var. ''subscaposum'' S. Watson * ''Eriogonum wrightii'' var. ''taxifolium'' (Greene) Parish (Yew-leaf buckwheat) – A rare variety 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 ...

, but also on the Punta Baja near El Rosario in Baja California. * ''Eriogonum wrightii'' var. ''trachygonum'' (Torr. ex Benth.) Jeps.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Eriogonum wrightii''Photo gallery
wrightii Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of California Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Chihuahuan Desert Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Colorado Desert Natural history of the Mojave Desert Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Polygonaceae-stub