''Eriogonum parvifolium'' is a species in the family Polygonaceae that occurs on

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

formations in the coastal area of

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and Southern California. This evergreen

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

grows to a height of 30 to 100 centimeters with a spread of approximately the same dimension. This plant is an important host for a number of

pollinating Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, a ...

insects including certain

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 and inv ...

. ''E. parvifolium'' occurs both on bluffs along the Pacific Ocean coast as well as Coastal Strand dunes formations, but is restricted to altitudes below 700 meters. In at least one instance within the Carbonera Creek

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

, it occurs farther inland in a Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forest. This shrub is also known by the common names dune buckwheat, coast buckwheat, cliff buckwheat, or seacliff buckwheat.

Description

The thick cauline leaves are five to thirty millimeters in size and may be lanceolate to rounded. Alternatively leaves may be folded under, with the result of appearing more or less triangular; moreover they are smooth on the upper surfaces and woolly below. Foliage is green with reddish tinge, and the flowers white to pinkish or yellowish-green. The perianth measures 2.5 to 3.0 millimeters. This plant's glabrous fruits are 2.5 to 3.0 millimeters across.

Ecology

''E. parvifolium'' grows in sandy soils with pH ranging from five to eight (e.g. tolerates mildly acidic to mildly alkaline soils). In cultivation this species will actually tolerate clay soils. While this shrub grows in part to full sun, it may tolerate shade in cultivation. It is not subject to herbivory by deer, although many smaller fauna will consume its flowers, fruits and leaves. This species thrives in rainfall regimes of 39 to 78 centimeters per annum. Dune buckwheat is the host plant to a large variety of insects, and thus there is intense competition among various insects. Specifically it is a host plant to ten different

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species, including the El Segundo blue butterfly and

Smith's blue butterfly Smith's blue butterfly, ''Euphilotes enoptes smithi'', is an subspecies of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. This federally listed endangered subspecies of '' Euphilotes enoptes'' occurs in fragmented populations along the Central Coast of C ...

; moreover, in the case of the El Segundo blue, it is the only host plant used by that species in all of its life stages.

Conservation

Because of the host relationship to number of insect species, ''E. parvifolium'' has been the subject of numerous restoration programs including a significant and well researched program at

Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...

, one of only three extant colonies of the endangered El Segundo blue.Travis Longcore et al., ''On the perils of ecological restoration and the El Segundo blue butterfly''
/ref>

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5389427 parvifolium Endemic flora of California Flora without expected TNC conservation status