Eriogonum (microthecum)
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Ann DeBolt and Hilary Parkinson USDA FS - Rocky Mountain Research Station 316 E. Myrtle Boise, Idaho 83702 208-373-4366 208-373-4391 (fax) adebolt@fs.fed.us www.fs.fed.us/rm/boise |
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| Family Scientific Name: | Polygonaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Buckwheat Family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Eriogonum microthecum Nutt. | ||
| Common Name: | Slender Buckwheat | ||
| Ecotype: | Malheur County, Oregon, 1411 m | ||
| General Distribution: | North Central Washington, east of the Cascades to California, east to Montana, south to New Mexico and Arizona. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Time To Grow: | 0 | ||
| Propagule Collection: | The creamy white flowers bloom from June to September. Phenology varies based on elevation, aspect and seasonal weather patterns. Seed (achenes) maturation is indeterminate over 2 to 3 months. Seeds are mature when the perianth is paper-dry and the hard, filled seeds dehisce readily. It is important to check for mature filled fruits to avoid premature collecting. We selected an inflorescence (an umbel) and examined individual seed for fullness and relative hardness. Seed is collected by clipping the inflorescences or hand stripping into containers. After collection, seed was dried and then placed in a standard freezer for 48 hours to remove insect pests prior to cleaning. Seed was stored in a brown glass jar at room temperature for 18 months prior to this study. | ||
| Propagule Processing: | Inflorescence is ground on a rubbing board and the larger debris is removed by hand. Remaining material is then placed in a 1.6 mm sieve (No. 10 USA STS) followed by a 1 mm sieve (No. 18 USA STS) to remove smaller particles. Material is then passed twice through a seed blower. Due to the small size of the seed, a light table and magnification device aided in locating insect damage (manifested as tiny bore holes 1-3 mm in diameter). Insect damage was apparent on roughly 5-10% of the seeds, and dead larvae of an unknown type were found in seed containers. Those with insect holes or other obvious damage were discarded. Tetrazolium tests indicated 14% viability of the seed lot. | ||
| Pre-Planting Treatments: | Seeds were transferred to clear plastic germination boxes on two layers of moistened blotter paper, and placed in a germination chamber with a 12 hr light/12 hr dark regime at 22§ C. Although this test involved a relatively small number of seeds, it appears that this seed lot exhibits no dormancy. Seeds began germinating within 2 days. The light regime was altered to 15 hrs light/9 hrs dark and the tray was moved closer to the light source. Additional seeds germinated over the next 2.5 months. | ||
| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
Upon first signs of germination, seeds were sown in styrofoam conetainers with a 50% peat and 50% vermiculite mixture. The containers were watered from an automatic overhead irrigation system that turns on when soil saturation levels fall below 80% and turns off when field capacity reaches 100%. Greenhouse temperature was set at a constant 27§C. Small amounts of fertilizer suitable for seedlings were added periodically. | ||
| Establishment Phase: | On day 16, true leaves began to develop. All but four germinants succumbed shortly after being planted in the containers. Three of these were from the earliest germinating seeds. Future tests should be done using a cold moist stratification to determine if this might promote more rapid and uniform germination. | ||
| Other Comments: | Partial funding for this research was provided by the USDI Bureau of Land Management, Great Basin Restoration Initiative. | ||
| References: |
Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA. 730 p. USDA, NRCS. 2004. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. |
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Citation:
Parkinson, Hilary; DeBolt, Ann. 2005. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Eriogonum microthecum Nutt. plants USDA FS - Rocky Mountain Research Station Boise, Idaho. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/03). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
