Eriogonum (flavum)

Tara Luna USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana 59936 (406) 888-7835 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Polygonaceae
Family Common Name:	Buckwheat Family
Scientific Name:	Eriogonum flavum Nutt.
Common Name:	Yellow Buckwheat
Species Code:	ERIFLA
Ecotype:	Subalpine meadows, Logan Pass, 2032m elev.
General Distribution:	E. flavum occurs in open knolls in grasslands to alpine ridges and scree slides. It ranges from Alaska and B.C. and Alberta, south to northeast Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arizona.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	160 ml conetainers
Time To Grow:	7 Months
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling<br> Height: 6-10 true leaves, 10 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: Firm plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are collected in early September when the corolla turns papery. Seeds are tan at maturity. Seeds are collected in paper bags and kept in a well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds are cleaned by a hammermill and 1/8 inch screen; followed by air screening. Seed longevity is unknown. Seed dormancy is classified as physiological dormancy. Seeds/Kg: 484,385/kg % Purity: 100% % Germination: 37%
Pre-Planting Treatments:	60 to 90 day cold, moist stratification. Seeds are placed in fine mesh bags and buried in moist peat moss in ventilated containers under refrigeration at 1 to 3C. After 60 days, seeds germinate during stratification and are planted as germinants. Seeds continue to germinate during stratification for another 30 days.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Greenhouse and Outdoor Nursery growing facility. Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are covered with medium. Growing medium used is 6:1:1 milled sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite and with Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S ,0.1%B, 0.5%Cu, 12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per 172 ml conetainer. Greenhouse temperatures are maintained at 21 to 25C during the day and 16 to 18 C at night. Seedlings are hand watered and remain in greenhouse until mid May. Seedlings are then moved to outdoor nursery for the remainder of the growing season. Seedlings are irrigated with Rainbird automatic irrigation system in early morning until containers are thoroughly leached. Average growing season of nursery is from late April after snowmelt until October 15th.
Establishment Phase:	Seedlings emerge 7 to 10 days after planting germinants. After seedlings are established, they must dry down between irrigations.
Length of Establishment Phase:	6 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Seedlings enter the rapid growth stage 8 weeks after germination and quickly fill 160 ml conetainers in 4 months. Plants are fertilized with 13-13-13 NPK liquid fertilizer at 100 ppm weekly until fall.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	8 weeks
Hardening Phase:	Plants are fertilized with 10-20-20 liquid NPK at 200 ppm during August and September. Irrigation is gradually reduced in September and October. Plants were given one final irrigation prior to winterization.
Length of Hardening Phase:	4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time To Harvest: 7 months. Harvest Date: July and August Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor shadehouse under insulating foam and snow.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	There are 3 botanical varieties: var. flavum (central MT), var. polyphyllum (northwest Wyoming and southwest Montana), and var. piperi (which grows west of the Rocky Mountains).
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, Univ. of Washington Press, 7th printing, 1990. Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Edition, Deno, Norman, publ.1993. Glacier Park Native Plant Nursery Propagation Records, unpublished. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, National Park Service, Hassell, Wendel, April 1996.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale; Hosokawa, Joy. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Eriogonum flavum Nutt. plants 160 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/04/20). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.