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Home/Species/ Duchesne Buckwheat

Eriogonum viridulum

Reveal

Duchesne Buckwheat

G2Imperiled Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
HighThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.149892
Element CodePDPGN08680
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderPolygonales
FamilyPolygonaceae
GenusEriogonum
Synonyms
Eriogonum brevicaule var. viridulum(Reveal) Welsh
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-07-09
Change Date2024-07-09
Edition Date2024-07-09
Edition AuthorsJohnson, J. (2024)
Threat ImpactHigh
Range Extent1000-5000 square km (about 400-2000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank Reasons
Eriogonum viridulum is endemic to a small area of Utah and Colorado ,and its populations face threats from road maintenance, utility corridors, off-highway vehicle use, solar development, oil and gas drilling, and livestock grazing.
Range Extent Comments
Eriogonum viridulum is known from the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah and Vermillion Creek in northwestern Colorado (FNA 2005, NatureServe 2024). Previous reports from Arizona are based on misidentified specimens. Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are 13 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
More than half of the occurrences are near highways and could be affected by road maintenance or expansion. Some occurrences are in areas with off-highway vehicle tracks. The western half of this species' range is impacted by oil and gas drilling. Proposed solar developments and associated roads and transmission corridors may impact some populations. Many of the populations lie within grazing allotments, but the impacts from grazing are not well-understood.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Herbs, spreading, not scapose, 1-3.5 × 1-4 dm, glabrous, bright green. Stems spreading, without persistent leaf bases; caudex stems absent; aerial flowering stems erect, slender, solid, not hollow, 0.5-1.2 dm, glabrous, tomentose among leaves. Leaves sheathing 1-6 cm, 1 per node; petiole 0.1-0.2 cm, tomentose or glabrous; blade linear or rarely narrowly elliptic, 1-4 × 0.1-0.5 cm, densely white-tomentose abaxially, glabrous and green adaxially, margins usually tightly revolute. Inflorescences cymose, 3-15 × 2-10 cm; branches dichotomous, glabrous; bracts 3, scalelike, narrowly triangular, 1-3 mm. Peduncles absent or erect, slender, 0.05-0.2 cm. Involucres 1 per node, turbinate, 2-3 × 1.5-2 mm, glabrous; teeth 5, erect, 0.5-0.8 mm. Flowers 1.5-2 mm; perianth yellow, glabrous; tepals connate proximal 4- 3, slightly dimorphic, those of outer whorl ovate, 1-1.2 wide, those of inner whorl oblong, 0.7-0.8 mm wide; stamens exserted, 1.5-2 mm; filaments pilose proximally. Achenes brown, 1.5-2 mm, glabrous (Flora of North America 1993+).

Habitat

Eriogonum viridulum occurs in sandy, silty, or clay flats, slopes, and hills, sagebrush or saltbush, and pinyon-juniper woodlands at elevations ranging from 1,400 to 2,200 meters (FNA 2005).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparralBarrens
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
UtahS2Yes
ColoradoS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentLarge (31-70%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasLarge (31-70%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureLarge (31-70%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingLarge (31-70%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
3 - Energy production & miningLarge (31-70%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
3.1 - Oil & gas drillingRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
3.3 - Renewable energyRestricted (11-30%)Moderate - slightModerate (short-term)
4 - Transportation & service corridorsLarge (31-70%)Moderate - slightModerate (short-term)
4.1 - Roads & railroadsLarge (31-70%)Moderate - slightModerate (short-term)
4.2 - Utility & service linesSmall (1-10%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceRestricted (11-30%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activitiesRestricted (11-30%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
0419020Ashley National Forest355,684
References (6)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2005. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 5. Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae: Caryophyllales, Polygonales, and Plumbaginales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. vii + 656 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).