''Eriogonum alpinum'' is a species of
wild buckwheat known by the common name Trinity buckwheat.
[Jepson eFlora: ''Eriogonum alpinum'']
/ref>[ Calflora: ''Eriogonum alpinum'' ]
/ref>
Description
''Eriogonum alpinum'' is a perennial herb growing in mats, no more than wide and tall. The woolly greenish leaves are rounded and one to three centimeters long.[
The plant produces an erect ]inflorescence
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
of bright yellow to pinkish flowers, each under a centimeter wide.[
The fruit is an ]achene
An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple fruit, simple dry fruits, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and Dehi ...
about half a centimeter long.[
]
Distribution and habitat
This rare plant is endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to northern California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.[ It is known from only about ten occurrences in the Mount Eddy and Cory Peak areas of the Trinity Mountains, within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in southern Siskiyou County and northwestern Trinity County.][
It grows in rocky serpentine soils at elevations of , in subalpine coniferous forest, upper montane coniferous forest, and alpine fell-field habitats.][ The Trinity Mountains are a range of the ]Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...
System.
Conservation
This species is a California Department of Fish and Wildlife listed and a California Native Plant Society listed endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
. California Native Plant Society, Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v8-02): ''Eriogonum alpinum''
. accessed 21 September 2016.
See also
*
*
References
External links
Calflora Database: ''Eriogonum alpinum'' (Trinity buckwheat)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Eriogonum alpinum''UC CalPhotos gallery of ''Eriogonum alpinum'' (Trinity buckwheat) images
alpinum
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Klamath Mountains
Natural history of Siskiyou County, California
Natural history of Trinity County, California
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Taxa named by George Engelmann
{{Polygonaceae-stub