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 Mojave 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 November 26, 2012

The northern and eastern most distributions of this species are found at Sand Hollow Wash in Lincoln County and just across the state border at Coon Creek in Mojave County. 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.

Click on the map below to see the distribution range of the sticky buckwheat using the interactive GIS map.

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.

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.

• Habitat Monitoring
• Sticky Buckwheat and Threecorner Milkvetch Conservation
• Soil Studies

This gallery includes photos of this species. If you require larger photos, please contact our webmaster Michelle Reilly at mreilly@usbr.gov.