Eriogonum kennedyi
Encyclopedia
Eriogonum kennedyi is a species of wild buckwheat
known by the common name Kennedy's buckwheat.
arises on an erect scape, or stem, bearing a head of small flowers which are white to pink with a darker midrib.
, where it can be found in the Transverse Ranges
, the Sierra Nevada foothills, and in the case of one variety, the high Sierra Nevada and far western Great Basin
. It grows in dry habitat in sand or gravel.
Some varieties serve as foodplants for butterfly
species such as Bauer's dotted blue (Euphilotes baueri) and Ord Mountain metalmark (Apodemia mormo dialeuca
).
Eriogonum
Eriogonum is the scientific name for a genus of flowering plants, in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is found in North America and is known as wild buckwheat. This is a highly species-rich genus, and indications are that active speciation is continuing...
known by the common name Kennedy's buckwheat.
Description
This is a perennial herb forming a small cushiony mat covered in oval leaves up to about centimeter long. The greenish leaves are coated in woolly fibers in shades of brown to pink or white. The inflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
arises on an erect scape, or stem, bearing a head of small flowers which are white to pink with a darker midrib.
Distribution
It is endemic to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it can be found in the Transverse Ranges
Transverse Ranges
The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region that runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie between...
, the Sierra Nevada foothills, and in the case of one variety, the high Sierra Nevada and far western Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
. It grows in dry habitat in sand or gravel.
Species
There are five varieties of this species:- E. k. var. alpigenum, the southern alpine buckwheat, grows in subalpineSubalpineThe subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
to alpineAlpine climateAlpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
areas in the San GabrielSan Gabriel MountainsThe San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
and San Bernardino MountainsSan Bernardino MountainsThe San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
, including San Gorgonio MountainSan Gorgonio MountainSan Gorgonio Mountain, also known locally as Mount San Gorgonio, or Old Greyback, is the highest peak in Southern California at . It is in the San Bernardino Mountains, east of the city of San Bernardino and north-northeast of San Gorgonio Pass. It lies within the San Gorgonio Wilderness, part of...
. - E. k. var. austromontanum, the southern mountain buckwheat, grows in mountain habitat in the Transverse Ranges, including the pebble plain near Big BearBig Bear LakeBig Bear Lake is a reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. At a surface elevation of , it has an east-west length of approximately 7 miles and is approximately 2.5 miles at its widest measurement, though the lake's width mostly averages a...
. It is a federally listed endangered subspeciesEndangered speciesAn endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. - E. k. var. kennedyi is known from the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and from the Mount PinosMount PinosMount Pinos is a mountain located in the Los Padres National Forest on the boundary between Ventura and Kern counties in California. The summit is the highest point in Ventura County.- Geography :...
area - E. k. var. pinocola, the Kern buckwheat, is known from only three occurrences in the mountains at the southernmost tip of the Sierra Nevada where it meets the Transverse Ranges near TehachapiTehachapi MountainsThe Tehachapi Mountains , regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States...
. - E. k. var. purpusii can be found in several mountains and ranges in southern and eastern California.
Some varieties serve as foodplants for butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
species such as Bauer's dotted blue (Euphilotes baueri) and Ord Mountain metalmark (Apodemia mormo dialeuca
Apodemia mormo
The Mormon Metalmark is a species of Metalmark butterfly . Its upperside is orange-brown to black, checkered with black and white spots. Its caterpillar host is various species of Eriogonum...
).