Scientific Family
Polygonaceae
Synonyms
Eriogonum effusum var. durum
Other common names
wild buckwheat
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
To 2 feet
Riparian
No
Crispleaf buckwheat is an evergreen, rounded, clump-forming plant that is covered with tiny, white or yellow clustered flowers during its blooming period. After flowering, the fruits and branches turn bright red and persist into winter.
Woody stems; branches of inflorescences ascending, not rigid or spiny; flowers open at the top of a rounded cluster first; leaves are oblong, usually more than 1/4 inch long and wide.
Habitat
Semi-desert, shrublands, clearings in ponderosa pine forests.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
4500
High elevation
8000
Flower Characteristics
The whitish or yellowish flowers are tiny and numerous in rounded clusters to 3/4 inch wide, on many-stemmed branches. Flower
color changes as the flowers age, white flowers turn pink or red, yellow turn red to rust.
Flower color
Grayish-white to yellowish
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
July
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves are to 1-3/4 inches long and 1-1/8 inches wide. Leave margins are occasionally small-scalloped.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Light green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruits contain a single seed.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Red