Eriogonum ovalifolium var. purpureum

(Purple Cushion Buckwheat)

_DSC1056%20copy

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. purpureum, Pawnee Buttes, Weld Co. 7520

_DSC1056%20copy

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. purpureum, Pawnee Buttes, Weld Co. 7525

_DSC1056%20copy

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. purpureum, Pawnee Buttes, Weld Co. 7509

_DSC1056%20copy

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. purpureum, Pawnee Buttes, Weld Co. 7513

_DSC1056%20copy

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. purpureum, Pawnee Buttes, Weld Co. 7515

_DSC1056%20copy

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. purpureum, Pawnee Buttes, Weld Co. 7507

Scientific Name Eriogonum ovalifolium var. purpureum USDA PLANTS Symbol EROVP2
Common Name Purple Cushion Buckwheat ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. 195560
Family Polygonaceae (Buckwheat) SEINet
Reference
Click Here
Description Life zones and habitat: Plains to montane (4500 to 10200 ft.); dry sandy to gravelly soils on flats, hillsides, meadows, brushlands and woodlands.
Plant: Low, mat-forming perennial up to 20 inches across with erect, woolly, leafless flower-bearing stems (scapes) 2 to 10 inches tall.
Leaves: Basal leaves oblanceolate, oblong, or elliptic, 1/4 to 2-3/8 inches long and up to 5/8 inches wide; surfaces are densely-covered with short, soft, woolly hairs giving a whitish-gray appearance.
Inflorescence: Tight spherical clusters 1-3/8 to 2 inches across with many small flowers; tepals are creamy-white to rose to purple and less than 0.2-inch long.
Bloom Period: May to July.
References: "Flora of Colorado" by Jennifer Ackerfield, UC Jepson eFlora and Flora of North America.
BONAP Distribution Map


Map Color Key
Colorado Status:
Native

© Tom Lebsack 2024

Banner photo: Castilleja rhexifolia and a brewing storm over the San Juan Mountains