General Description
Sticky buckwheat (Eriogonum viscidulum), a member of the buckwheat (Polygonaceae) family, is a rare, sand loving, annual plant endemic (local) to Clark and Lincoln Counties in southern Nevada and Mohave County in northwestern Arizona. Sticky buckwheat can reach up to 15.7 inches (40 cm) tall with diffusely branched stems and a base rosette of leaves. It has small yellow flowers and the stems and branches are slightly sticky and are often covered with sand particles.
Legal Status
Sticky buckwheat is listed as a critically endangered species in the state of Nevada, is on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sensitive species list, is listed on the Nevada Natural Heritage Programs Sensitive List as imperiled, and is a covered species on two local conservation plans; the Lower Colorado Multiple-Species Conservation Plan (LCR MSCP) administered by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) administered by Clark County, NV.
Taxonomy
Sticky buckwheat is one of approximately 250 species of Eriogonum in North America. This species was typed at Riverside bridge, on the Virgin River, Clark County, Nevada in 1941.
Reproduction
Sticky buckwheat is an annual plant flowering in late April and setting fruit 2 -3 weeks later.
Threats
The major threat to sticky buckwheat is from invasive annual plant species including Sahara mustard and Mediterranean/Arabian grass, and, at select sites, tumbleweed and saltcedar. Additional threats are from development, and off-highway vehicle (OHV) use; and at select sites, trampling and grazing by trespass cattle and burros.
More Information
Additional information on this species, as well as source documentation, can be found in the species accounts located at this link (PDF). Technical Reports on this species can be found here.
Updated January 7, 2020
Sticky buckwheat is a rare and localized species known from a few locations in Clark County and Lincoln County, Nevada, and adjacent Mohave County, Arizona. The northern and eastern most distributions of this species are found at Sand Hollow Wash in Lincoln County, Nevada, and just across the state border at Coon Creek in Mohave County, Arizona. Sticky buckwheat reaches its southern and western extensions in Clark County Nevada at Middle Point within Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA) and Weiser Wash (BLM) respectively.
Sticky buckwheat is found in areas with loose sand and has a geographic distribution associated with a sedimentary deposit called the Muddy Creek Formation. This formation is widely exposed in the hills along the Overton Arm, Virgin Basin, and Boulder Basin sections of Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LMNRA) and extends northward along the Virgin River valley and westward along the Muddy River and Meadow Valley Wash. Weathered sediments from this formation, re-deposited as aeolian or fluvial sand, provide the substrate for sticky buckwheat.
LCR MSCP Conservation Measures
The following information is from Volume II of the 2004 LCR MSCP Final Conservation Plan. Additional information is included in the expanded conservation measures for this species. Click on the arrows to expand the table.
STBU1—Provide funding to support existing sticky buckwheat conservation programs (Minor Modification) |
Steering Committee Motion 11-005 10-27-10 The LCR MSCP will provide $10,000 per year until 2030 to an ongoing Conservation Program or other entity approved by the USFWS to implement conservation activities for the threecorner milkvetch and sticky buckwheat. |
Research and Monitoring Activities
LCR MSCP conduct a variety of research and monitoring activities along the LCR encompassing both MSCP and non-MSCP species. For a complete list of all activities, please see the Research and Monitoring Activities web page.
The following list includes different research and monitoring activities for vegetation. Click on the link for more information.
This gallery includes photos of this species. If you require larger photos, please contact our webmaster Michelle Reilly at mreilly@usbr.gov.