E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Eriogonum niveum Douglas ex Benth.
snow buckwheat
Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Bob Thacker  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #89265)

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Distribution of Eriogonum niveum
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from a thick woody taproot and freely branched crown, sometimes mat-forming; stems ascending to erect, branched, several, 5-20 cm tall/long, greyish-woolly.
Leaves:
Basal leaves egg-shaped to widely lanceolate, grey-hairy, the blades 1.5-6 cm long, the stalks as long as, or longer than, the blades; stem leaves lacking.
Flowers:
Flowers in large, freely-branched clusters; flower stalks with leaflike bracts at the branch bases; involucres conic, densely hairy, 3-4 mm long with 3 (4) short, erect teeth; perianths cream or pink (rarely yellow), 3-4 mm long (to 6 mm long in fruit).
Fruits:
Achenes.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Late Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Dry grasslands, shrublands, rocky slopes and forest openings in the steppe and lower montane zones; locally frequent in SC BC; S to ID and OR.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Eriogonum niveum

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 285 494 1269
Slope Gradient (%) 0 23 105
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		5 206 340
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		0 2 6
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 141
Modal BEC Zone Class
 BG
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(92), IDF(14), MS(1), PP(32)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Eriogonum niveum subsp. decumbens (Benth.) S. Stokes
Eriogonum niveum var. decumbens (Benth.) Torr. & Gray
Eriogonum niveum var. dichotomum (Dougl. ex Benth.) M.E. Jones
Eriogonum strictum var. lachnostegium Benth.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Polygonaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Eriogonum niveum
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-11-24 11:13:10 AM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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