Home/Species/ Widtsoe Buckwheat

Eriogonum aretioides

Barneby

Widtsoe Buckwheat

G3Vulnerable Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G3VulnerableGlobal Rank

LowThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.157703

Element CodePDPGN080H0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single state or province

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderPolygonales

FamilyPolygonaceae

GenusEriogonum

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.

Taxonomic Comments

Kartesz misspelled common name "Widstoe" [1/98 or 5/98 data], now (8/98) uses "Red Canyon Wild Buckwheat" as common name.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2023-01-24

Change Date2023-01-24

Edition Date2023-01-24

Edition AuthorsRoth, E., rev. D. Stone (1997), rev. C. Nordman (2013), rev. Eberly (2023)

Threat ImpactLow

Range Extent250-1000 square km (about 100-400 square miles)

Number of Occurrences6 - 20

Rank Reasons

Eriogonum aretioides is a perennial herb that is an edaphic endemic of southwestern Utah in the western United States. There are eleven known occurrences that are restricted to areas with Pink Limestone of the Tertiary Claron Formation. Threats to this species are low, in part due to the protections put place to restrict many activities in the species habitat.

Range Extent Comments

Eriogonum aretioides occurs in the western United States where it is known only from Garfield and Wayne Counties, Utah. The Emery County record is apparently based on misidentified Eriogonum tumultosum. It is apparently extirpated at the type locality (west base of the Escalante Mountains near Widtsoe). Range extent was calculated based on data in the Utah Rare Plant Database in 2019 (UNHP 2019).

Occurrences Comments

There are twelve occurrences based on a 2 km separation distance (UNHP 2019). It is apparently extirpated at the type locality near Widtsoe.

Threat Impact Comments

This species occurs in multiple protected areas. This species may be threatened by unauthorized off road vehicle use (Madsen 2009). Erosion is a potential threat.

Ecology & Habitat

Description

A matted very short but elegant perennial plant, which lacks aerial flowering stems. Plants are mounded and resemble half a cantaloupe (Rodriguez 2004). The leaves are tiny, and are pilose with revolute margins (curled under at the edges). Flowers are tiny (2-3 mm) yellow or pale yellow in small heads (< 1 cm wide), and also are pilose (Reveal 2005 in Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2005).

Habitat

This species occurs on clay soils on semi-barren ridges, benches, and lower slopes on Pink Limestone Member of the Tertiary Claron Formation and on flat to gently sloping plateau margins at elevations of 2,255 to 2,655 m, in sparse woodland of ponderosa pine and bristlecone pine (Welsh et al. 2015).

Reproduction

Flowers from May to July (Reveal 2005 in Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2005).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/WoodlandWoodland - ConiferBarrens

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN3

Province	Rank	Native
Utah	S3	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
5 - Biological resource use	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
5.2 - Gathering terrestrial plants	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance	Small (1-10%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activities	Small (1-10%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
10 - Geological events	Restricted (11-30%)	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
10.3 - Avalanches/landslides	Restricted (11-30%)	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (2)

Utah (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Casto Bluff	Dixie National Forest	87,466
Horse Valley	Dixie National Forest	13,624

References (5)

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.
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.
Madsen, M. T. 2009. Biological Evaluation of Sensitive Plant Species for the Motorized Travel Plan Project Preferred Alternative with Modifications. Dixie National Forest. [http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/dixie/projects/MTP/feis/specialist_reports/plant_be.pdf]
Utah Natural Heritage Program (UNHP). 2019. Element Subnational Ranking Form: <i>Eriogonum aretioides</i> in Biotics 5 database. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia (accessed 2023).
Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich, and L.C. Higgins. (Eds). 2015. A Utah flora, fifth edition, revised 2015. Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Provo, Utah. 987 pp.

Eriogonum aretioides

Description

Habitat

Reproduction

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