''Eriogonum longifolium'' Nutt. var. ''gnaphalifolium'' Gand. (also known as ''Eriogonum floridanum'' Small), commonly referred to as scrub buckwheat is a dicot of the

Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants known Common name, informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The Botanical name, name is Basionym, based on the genus ''Polygonum'', ...

(smartweed or knotweed) family. It is listed as threatened in the US and

endangered 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 ...

in Florida. Within Florida its most closely related species is '' Eriogonum tomentosum'' however there are three other varieties of '' Eriogonum longifolium'' found in other areas of the US. Scrub buckwheat is found in areas of scrub, flatland and sand hills.

Description

It is described as generally having no more than three flowering stems, but stronger plants may have more. Its flowers are described as emerging from an

involucre In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also look ...

or protective cup found on each branch of its terminal

corymb Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial re ...

. Flowers are pollinated by a variety of

solitary bee Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to: * Solitary (album), ''Solitary'' (album), 2008 album by Don Dokken * Solitary (2020 film), ''Solitary'' (2020 film), a British sci-fi thriller film * Solitary (upcoming fi ...

s, solitary digger wasps and twig nesting wasps,

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...

and social

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...

s. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service there is an active

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

management program. Also, there is significant interest in studying its fire tolerance and tendency to bloom or to die following prescribed burning of competing undergrowth.

References

External links

Species Account/Biologue
- USFWS webpage for Scrub Buckwheat

- Final ruling regarding seven central Florida plants, including E. longifolium var. gnaphalifolium {{Taxonbar, from=Q5389404 longifolium var. gnaphalifolium Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of Florida Threatened flora of the United States

Description

See also

References

External links