Eriogonum inflatum

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Desert Trumpet
The inflated stem is distinctive.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Caryophyllales Family: Polygonaceae Genus: Eriogonum Species: E. inflatum
Binomial name
Eriogonum inflatum Torr.

Eriogonum inflatum, the Desert Trumpet, is a perennial plant of the family Polygonaceae. The plant possesses very small yellow or pink flowers and an inflated stem just below branching segments. Eriogonum: from the Greek erion, "wool", and gonu, "joint or knee", in reference to the hairy or woolly joints of some of the species of the genus, but not particularly inflatum.

The swelling of the stems was assumed to have been influenced by the presence of gall insects, most notably of the genus Onyerus. The female wasp produces a small hole on the inflated portion of the Desert Trumpet, packs the cavity with larvae and lays her eggs upon them, providing a food source, and a protected environment for the offspring. Irritation caused by this process was said to have enlarged the cavity over time. Recently, research performed by the world authority on the genus Eriogonum, Dr. J. L. Reveal of the University of Maryland, College Park, revealed the swollen stem of E. inflatum is due to high concentrations of carbon dioxide in the solid stem and seems to be related to gas regulation. Some insects utilize the swollem stem as a larder, but the inflation is not caused by the larval feeding of gall insects.

It is known that some Native American tribes that once inhabited the surrounding areas of the Las Vegas Valley (most commonly Paiute) would remove the stalk of E. inflatum at the base, and then cut the inflated bulb in half, producing a makeshift pipe. A mixture of Indian Tobacco and Mistletoe would be smoked primarily for leisure purposes.

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