''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 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 ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

in the United States, where it is known only from

Hanford Reach National Monument The Hanford Reach National Monument is a national monument in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in 2000, mostly from the former security buffer surrounding the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The area has been untouched by development o ...

in Benton County. It was discovered in 1995''Eriogonum codium''.
The Nature Conservancy. during an inventory of the

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

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 In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

forms a mat of stems around its branching

caudex A caudex (: 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 most ...

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 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 ...

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 chronological dating, dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed in a tree. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, ...

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 Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

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 expo ...

. 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 extremely vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicula ...

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

Grayia spinosa ''Grayia spinosa'' is a species of the genus ''Grayia (plant), Grayia'' in the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, which is known by the common names hop sage and spiny hop sage. It is widely distributed across ...

'', '' Salvia dorrii'', ''

Phacelia linearis ''Phacelia linearis'', the linear-leaved phacelia or threadleaf phacelia, is a species of phacelia. Description ''Phacelia linearis'' is an annual herb producing a branching or unbranched erect stem up to tall. It is coated in soft or stiff hai ...

'', '' Cryptantha pterocarya'', '' 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, south ...

''. 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, boun ...

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 ther ...

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

Firefighting Firefighting is a profession aimed at controlling and extinguishing fire. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter or fireman. Firefighters typically undergo a high degree of technical training. This involves structural fir ...

activity may damage the plants. Other threats include

off-road vehicle An off-road vehicle (ORV), also known as an off-highway vehicle (OHV), overland vehicle or adventure vehicle, is a type of transportation specifically engineered to navigate unpaved roads and surfaces. These include trails, forest roads, and ...

use and trampling on the open ridge where the plants grow. Some of the plants have died after being crushed.

Livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

are also a potential, but not an immediate threat. Rock collecting activity has been noted to occur on the ridge. This species is a candidate for federal protection.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5389355

codium ''Codium'' is a genus of edible green macroalgae (or seaweed) under the order Bryopsidales. The genus name is derived from a Greek word that pertains to the soft texture of its thallus. One of the foremost experts on ''Codium'' taxonomy was P ...

Flora of Washington (state) Benton County, Washington Plants described in 1997