Eriogonum visheri A. Nels. 

 Polygonaceae 

 Dakota buckwheat 

 Description 



1. General description: An erect, upward branching annual 5- 

 51 cm (2-20 in) tall, arising from a slender taproot. Basal 

 leaves are several, round, smooth, 1.3-2.5 cm (1/2-1 in) wide, 

 petioles 2.5-3.6 cm ( 1 - 1 1/2 in) long. The single slender 

 stem extends upward for 2.5-15.2 cm (1-6 in) before dividing 

 into 2 or 3 branches, each of which continues to branch 

 dichotomously into finer divisions of the open inf loresence. 

 A few small, oblong leaves are produced at the lower nodes. 

 Extremely small clusters of yellowish flowers are at the node 

 of the inf loresence. Each flower produces a single dark brown 

 seed app. 0.16 cm (1/16 in) long. The flowers appear in July 

 and continue to be produced well into September, even after 

 the basal leaves and stems have turned reddish brown (from Ode 

 1987) . 



2. Technical description: Erect spreading annual 1.5-3.5 dm. 

 high arising from a slender, woody taproot; leave basal and 

 cauline, the basal leaf-blade elliptic to rotund, 1-2.5 cm 

 long 1-2 cm wide, glabrous and green on both surfaces, except 

 for villous hairs along the margin and midvein, occasionally 

 sparsely villous above when young, the margin entire and 

 plane, the apex mostly obtuse to round, the base mostly 

 obtuse, infrequently truncate, the petiole long, slender, 1-3 

 cm long, sparsely villous to pilose, the cauline leaf-blade 

 elliptic, 0.5-1.5 cm long, 0.5-1 cm wide and similar to the 

 basal leaves only more reduced, the petiole short, the leaves 

 restricted to the lower nodes in the axil of the bracts; 

 flowering stems erect, inf loresences open, 0.5-3.5 dm long, 

 di- or trichotomously branched at the lower node, dichotomous 

 above, sparsely villous throughout, but becoming slightly less 

 so above, bracts scale-like, ternate, triangular, 1-2.5 mm 

 long, glabrous within and without except for ciliated margins, 

 occasionally villous without in some, connate at the base; 

 peduncles lacking except in the forks of the lowermost 

 branches, these erect, slender, 0.3-1 cm long, sparsely 

 villous; involucres turbinate, 1-1.5 mm long, glabrous within 

 and without except for a ciliated margin, the five acute teeth 

 0.3-0.6 mm long, the bractlet linear-oblanceolate, 1-1.5 mm 

 long, minutely glandular to sparsely hirsute with white 

 marginal cells. Pedicel 1.5-2.5 mm long, glabrous. Flowers 

 pale yellow with a slightly darker yellow to greenish-yellow 

 or reddish-brown midrib, 1.2-1.8 mm long in anthesis, becoming 

 2-2.5 mm long in fruit, sparsely hispid especially along the 

 margin and the midrib, glabrous within except for scattered 

 minute glands at the base of the midrib. The tepals 

 essentially simple, oblanceolate to oblong, united about 1/5 

 the length of the flower; stamens glabrous, the anther 



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