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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE BUCKWHEAT FAMILY | ||
| The buckwheats are common in northern temperate regions like Saskatchewan. The roots are fibrous or taproots. The stems can be solid or hollow, lying on the ground, or upright. The stems may be swollen at the nodes. The leaves can be in basal rosettes or basal and alternate on the stem. At the base of the leaf, some species have fused, papery stipules forming a sheath around the stem. The leaf margins may be smooth, round-toothed, wavy, or lobed. The flowers are usually perfect. The perianth is made of tepals instead of separate petals and sepals. The tepals are petal-like and are white, greenish, pinkish, yellowish, or reddish in colour. Each flower has between six and nine stamens. The fruits are yellowish, brown, red, or black. | ||
| NODDING BUCKWHEAT | ||
| LATIN NAME: Eriogonum cernuum var. cernuum | ||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | ||
| Nodding buckwheat grows up to 60 cm tall. The stem is branched and hairless. The leaves are mostly basal and are about as wide as they are long. The leaf stalks are up to 4 cm long and are woolly hairy. The flowers are in nodding heads. The tepals are white to pinkish and may become reddish in colour. The fruits are light brown. | ||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | ||
| Nodding buckwheat grows on dry, eroded grassland slopes. | ||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | ||
| This plant is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Mixed Grassland ecoregion. | ||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | ||
| Nodding buckwheat is threatened because it is rare or uncommon and is regionally restricted in the province. Most populations are small. Possible threats have been identified for this species. | ||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY NODDING BUCKWHEAT | ||
| * Are the flowers in nodding heads? * Are the leaves all basal? * Are the flowers pinkish or white? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found nodding buckwheat! | ||
