Eriogonum heermannii

Durand & Hilgard in War Department [U.S.]

in War Department [U.S.], Pacif. Railr. Rep. 5(3): 14. 1857.

IllustratedEndemic
Basionym: Eriogonum geniculatum Durand & Hilgard J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, n. s. 3: 45. 1855,
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 5. Treatment on page 304. Mentioned on page 228, 231, 232, 237, 239.

Shrubs and subshrubs, spreading to rounded and occasionally erect, not scapose, (0.5–) 1–20 × 2–25 dm, glabrous or occasionally floccose, sometimes scabrellous, greenish, infrequently grayish. Stems spreading or erect, without persistent leaf-bases, up to 1/2 height of plant; caudex stems absent; aerial flowering-stems erect or nearly so, slender to stout, solid, not fistulose, 0.02–0.5 dm, thinly tomentose or glabrous. Leaves cauline, 1 per node, quickly deciduous; petiole 0.1–1.5 cm, floccose or glabrous; blade linear, oblanceolate or spatulate or elliptic, or oblong, (0.4–) 1–2 (–4) × 0.1–0.8 cm, tomentose to floccose or glabrous abaxially, floccose to thinly floccose or glabrous adaxially, margins plane. Inflorescences cymose or racemose, 1–25 (–30) × 1–30 (–35) cm; branches dichotomous, sometimes with secondaries suppressed, smooth or angled to ridged and grooved, glabrous or occasionally floccose or scabrous; bracts 3, scalelike, 0.3–2 mm. Peduncles absent. Involucres 1 per node, narrowly turbinate or campanulate, 0.7–3 × 0.7–4 mm, glabrous, infrequently floccose; teeth 5, erect, 0.3–0.7 mm. Flowers (1.5–) 2–4 mm; perianth white, yellowish white, pink, or reddish, glabrous; tepals connate proximal 1/4, dimorphic, those of outer whorl obovate to orbiculate, those of inner whorl narrowly lanceolate to oblong; stamens exserted, 2–5 mm; filaments pilose proximally. Achenes light-brown to brown, 2–5 mm, glabrous.

Discussion

Varieties 8 (8 in the flora).

As Eriogonum heermannii is here circumscribed, the number of varieties is dramatically decreased from past presentations, with E. apachense reduced to synonymy under a now greatly expanded var. argense. Also included in that variety is the more stoutly branched var. subracemosum. The southern var. heermannii of basically desert ranges and the more northern var. occidentale of the Coast Ranges in California are maintained, but their separation is more traditional than certain. The fragile and bulky nature of many dried, often poorly prepared specimens, and the tendency for leaves to fall away have made varietal identification within E. heermannii difficult.

Eriogonum heermannii varieties are food plants for Ellis’s dotted-blue butterfly (Euphilotes ellisi) and the Mormon metalmark (Apodemia mormo mormo).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Flowering stems and inflorescence branches round or angled, scabrellous or papillate-scabrous; plants often densely branched > 2
1 Flowering stems and inflorescence branches round, not angled, usually smooth, glabrous or thinly tomentose; plants sparsely branched > 3
2 Flowering stems and inflorescence branches round, usually distinctly scabrellous or infrequently papillate-scabrous; Arizona, se California, Nevada Eriogonum heermannii var. argense
2 Flowering stems and inflorescence branches sharply ridged and deeply grooved, minutely scabrellous; nw Arizona, se California, s Nevada, sw Utah Eriogonum heermannii var. sulcatum
3 Involucres not racemosely arranged on inflorescence branches, or only last 2-3 so disposed; inflorescences diffusely branched, glabrous; Great Basin or northeast edge of Mojave Desert > 4
3 Involucres racemosely arranged along inflorescence branches or at least at tips of branches; inflorescences openly branched, glabrous or floccose to thinly tomentose; Mojave and Sonoran deserts > 5
4 Inflorescence branches mostly slender, smooth, not ridged, not spinose; inflorescences 3-15(-23) × 5-20 cm; subshrubs or shrubs, 3-7 × 5-12(-15) dm; Great Basin, ec California and Nevada Eriogonum heermannii var. humilius
4 Inflorescence branches stoutish, faintly ridged and grooved, spinose; inflorescences 3-7(-10) × 3-10(-12) cm; shrubs, 1-3 × 1.5-5(-8) dm; Mojave Desert, sw Utah and nw Arizona Eriogonum heermannii var. subspinosum
5 Inflorescence branches thinly tomentose to floccose; s California, s Nevada, nw Arizona Eriogonum heermannii var. floccosum
5 Inflorescence branches glabrous; s Nevada, California > 6
6 Involucres racemosely arranged; inflorescence branches whiplike; s Nevada Eriogonum heermannii var. clokeyi
6 Involucres racemosely arranged only distally; inflorescence branches not whiplike; California > 7
7 Leaf blades 0.5-1.5 cm, glabrous abaxially; inflorescence branches stout; sc California Eriogonum heermannii var. heermannii
7 Leaf blades 1.5-3(-4) cm, mostly tomentose to floccose abaxially (at least in early anthesis); inflorescence branches slender; sw California Eriogonum heermannii var. occidentale

"/2" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Eriogonum heermannii"
light-brown;brown +
included +  and exserted +
3-gonous +
usually red +  and cream or yellow +
oblong +  and ellipsoid or oval +
acute;obtuse or rounded +
James L. Reveal +
Durand & Hilgard in War Department [U.S.] +
deciduous +  and persistent +
stipelike +
Eriogonum geniculatum +
papillate +
awn-tipped +  and simple +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
tomentose +  and floccose or glabrous abaxially +
oblong;elliptic;spatulate;oblanceolate;oblong;elliptic;spatulate;oblanceolate;linear +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
not awn-tipped +
leaflike +  and semileaflike +
glandular +, pubescent +  and glabrous +
scale-like +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
grooved +  and dichotomous +
angled to ridged +  and smooth +
not brittle +
spreading +  and erect +
scabrous +, floccose +  and glabrous +
scabrellous +
ridged +, angled +  and round +
spreading +  and erect +
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
Ariz. +, Calif. +, Nev. +  and Utah +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
unisexual +, , +  and bisexual +
not attenuate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
decumbent to erect +  and prostrate +
not fistulose +
slender;stout +
unwinged +  and winged +
black +, red +, brown +  and yellowish +
exserted +  and included +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
spheroidal +, 4-gonous +, lenticular +, biconvex +, discoid +, 3-gonous +  and 2-gonous +
reduced +
capitate +  and subcapitate +
25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br />) +
dense +  and diffuse +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br />) +
cymelike +, paniclelike +, racemelike +  and spikelike +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
connate +  and free +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
floccose +  and glabrous +
campanulate +  and turbinate +
nonmembranous +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
in whorls +, opposite +, alternate +  and rosulate +
deciduous +
bractlike +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
not swollen +
orthotropous +
accrescent +
curved +  and straight +
erect to deflexed +
reddish;pink;reddish;pink;yellowish white;white +
cylindric +  and urceolate +
accrescent +
fleshy +, indurate +  and membranous +
with extrafloral nectaries +  and not articulate +
glabrous +  and floccose +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
homostylous +  and 3-carpellate +
in War Department [U.S.], Pacif. Railr. Rep. +
, +  and solid +
slender;stout +
persistent +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
decumbent to erect +  and prostrate +
erect +  and spreading +
glandular +, pubescent +  and glabrous +
penicillate +, fimbriate +  and capitate +
deciduous +  and persistent +
2-lobed +  and cylindric +
coriaceous +  and membranous +
consisting of a series +  and tubular +
distinct +
erect;spreading or recurved +
spreading;erect +
chambered +  and solid +
slender +  and stout +
Eriogonum heermannii +
Eriogonum subg. Eucycla +
species +
emarginate +  and entire +
in proximal 1/2 +  and connate +
0 +  and 1/2 +
lobed +  and laciniate +
coriaceous +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br />) +
persistent +
membranous +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
grayish +  and greenish +
subshrub +  and shrub +
erect;spreading;erect;spreading +
floccose +  and glabrous +
synoecious +, monocarpic +, polycarpic +  and , +
3 +, 2 +  and 1 +