Scientific Family
Polygonaceae
Synonyms
Eriogonum cyclosepalum
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
1 to 3 feet
Riparian
No
Eriogonum abertianum has spherical whitish inflorescences on hairy stalks. The leaves are hairy and have rounded teeth along the margins. The plant is much branched from the base and generally low and spreading.
Plants leafy stemmed. Lower leaves mostly broadly ovate hairy and flat, lower stem leaves similar but smaller, stem leaves not subtended by bracts. The whorl of bracts subtending a flower are deeply cleft and on stems.
Habitat
Sandy, gravelly, or clayey flats, washes, and slopes, mixed grasslands.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
2500
High elevation
7000
Flower Characteristics
Spherical flower clusters form on long hairy stalks. Individual flowers are small, 1/8 inch in length, and have 6 tepals in 2 series; the inner 3 lance-shaped, the outer ovate or nearly round. White and pink flowers have yellow stamens.
Flower color
White, pink, yellow
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Basal leaves are ovate, while stem leaves are narrower. Leaves are hairy. Stems are often red around the base, otherwise green or grayish, and have a covering of long, soft hairs. Stems are spreading or erect and much branched.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Brown