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Eriogonum (umbellatum)

Susan Meyer
Research Ecologist
USDA FS - Rocky Mountain Research Station, Shrub Sciences Laboratory
735 North 500 east
Provo, Utah 84606
smeyer@sisna.com
www.fs.fed.us/rm/boise

Family Scientific Name: Polygonaceae
Family Common Name: Buckwheat family
Scientific Name: Eriogonum umbellatum
Common Name: Sulphur buckwheat
Species Code: ERIUMB
Ecotype: Utah 2150 to 3480m
General Distribution: E. umbellatum is found throughout the western United States; from low elevation plains and deserts to the subalpine zone.
Propagation Goal: plants
Propagation Method: seed
Time To Grow:
Propagule Collection: E. alatum flowers in early to late summer and seeds ripen in late August to early September, depending on elevation.
Propagule Processing: Seeds are cleaned by hand rubbing material through a 2 mm round hole screen. Caff is removed from seed by using a tabletop model blower.
Achenes are stored at 20 to 22C with 30 to 40% relative humidity in paper envelopes until mid October.
Achene mass averages 1.4 to 2.6 mg per 100 achenes.
Pre-Planting Treatments: 6 prechilling treatments were used: 0,2,4,8,12,16 and 24 weeks of moist chilling at 2C in the dark.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:
Following chilling treatments, seeds were incubated 4 weeks under a daily temperature and photoperiod regime (12hr dark at 10C and 12hr light at 20C)with a cool flourescent light.
Achenes were placed in disposable petri plates on 2 blue germination blotter papers moistened with tap water. Blotter papers were re-moistened as needed.
Establishment Phase: Results and Discussion: 5 collections of E. umbellatum represented 3 subspecies; they showed considerable variation in chilling requirement.
The Red Canon collection was the least dormant, requiring only an 8 wk prechill to become completely germinable.
the collection from alpine tundra in the Uinta mountains ( E. umbellatum ssp.portei) was the most dormant, requiring 24 weeks of chilling to lose dormancy completely and only germinated to slightly more than 50% during 24 weeks in the cold.
References: Chilling Requirements for seed germination of 10 Utah species of perennial wild buckwheat. Meyer SE and Paulsen A. Native Plants Journal, Spring 2000, 1(1):18-24.

Citation:

2001. Propagation protocol for production of Eriogonum umbellatum plants USDA FS - Rocky Mountain Research Station, Shrub Sciences Laboratory Provo, Utah. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/23). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.