Abert wild buckwheat

Description

Eriogonum abertianum, with the common names Abert's buckwheat and Abert wild buckwheat, is a species of buckwheats in the family Polygonaceae. This annual herb is native to: Northern Mexico in Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and San Luis Potosí states; and the Southwestern United States within Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. It grows from 400–2,500 metres (1,300–8,200 ft) in elevation. Habitats it is found in include the Chihuahuan Desert and Sonoran Desert. Eriogonum abertianum grows from 1–3 feet (0.30–0.91 m) in height and width. Its leaves are tomentose, and greenish, tawny, or reddish on both surfaces (1-4 × 1-3 cm). The 3–4.5 mm flowers are white, pink, or yellow.It bloom period is year round. This species is a food source for adult Crescent Metalmark butterflies (Apodemia phyciodoides). It is also of special value to native bees. Eriogonum is 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. It includes some common wildflowers such as the California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum). The genus derived its name from the Greek word erion meaning 'wool' and gonu meaning 'knee or joint'. The author of the genus, Michaux, explained the name as describing the first named species of the genus (E. tomentosum) as a wooly plant with sharply bent stems ("planta lanata, geniculata"). Despite sharing the common name "buckwheat", Eriogonum is part of a different genus than the cultivated European buckwheat and than other plant species also called wild buckwheat. It came into the news in 2005 when the Mount Diablo buckwheat (Eriogonum truncatum, believed to be extinct) was rediscovered. Eriogonum species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). An example of a butterfly that uses this plant for food is the Lycaena heteronea. Several of these are monophagous, meaning their caterpillars only feed on this genus, sometimes just on a single taxon of Eriogonum. Wild buckwheat flowers are also an important source of food for these and other Lepidoptera. In some cases, the relationship is so close that Eriogonum and dependent Lepidoptera are in danger of coextinction. Some varieties of eriogonum, such as California buckwheat were and still are used as medicinal and food crops by Native American tribes.