MANY-FLOWERED BUCKWHEAT
Leaves usually alternate; sepals 3-6, sometimes petal-like; petals absent; stamens usually 6-9; ovary 1-celled.
Many-Flowered Buckwheat (Eriogonum multiflorum) is also called umbrella-plant because of its spreading clusters at the top of the stem. It grows about 2 ft. high, being very abundant in sandy soil from South-central Texas to Arkansas and Louisiana in the late summer and fall. The name means “woolly knees,” referring to the jointed stems.
Buckwheat flour is made from the seeds of Fagopyrum esculentum, a closely related plant, similar in size, white-flowered, and with large 3-angled seeds. Queen’s crown or wreath (Antigonon leptopus), a lovely pink-flowered vine widely cultivated in Texas, is a member of the buckwheat family.
Annual Buckwheat (Eriogonum annuum), similar to the many-flowered buckwheat, but with leaves white-woolly on both sides and narrowed at the base, is very abundant in the northwestern part into New Mexico and Mexico. Acre after acre along the highways is often covered with it. Many other white-, yellow-, and red-flowered buckwheats are found in the mountains of West Texas.
SOUTHERN SMARTWEED
Southern Smartweed (Persicaria longistyla), ranging from Mississippi to New Mexico is also called gander-grass or knotweed. It grows in wet places throughout the state and blooms in the late summer and fall. The dense spikes of small pink flowers are very attractive, the flowers having 5 pink sepals but no petals. The seeds are lens-shaped and covered with a black shining coat. The seeds of many of the smartweeds are considered good food for ducks.
Dotted Smartweed (Persicaria punctata) has scattered greenish-white flowers and 3-angled seeds. The leaves are much narrower than those of the Southern smartweed. Many other smartweeds are found in the state.
Curly-Leaved Dock (Rumex crispus), as well as several other docks, is common in the state. The leaves of some of them are used for greens. Canaigre is the dock of Western Texas and New Mexico, the roots of which have furnished tannin for commercial purposes.