Scientific Family
Polygonaceae
Other common names
slenderbush buckwheat
slenderbush eriogonum
wild buckwheat
Plant type
Shrubs
Riparian
No
Plant Description
Origin
Native
An airy shrub or subshrub that scatters itself widely over large areas. The plant can send roots into the tiniest of rock crevices, surviving on minimal water.
Erect shrub or subshrub, flowers found in compact, terminal often flat-topped clusters; bracts may or may not be hairy; sepals and petals not hairy; individual flowers are not stemmed.
Height
10 to 20 inches
Width
15 to 48 inches
Habitat
Habitat description
Plant is found in rocky and sandy areas. Prefers sandy or loamy soils.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
2200
High elevation
12000
Leaves
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaf hairs
Top and bottom of leaves
Spines
No
Leaf Drop
Semi-evergreen
Leaves are long and narrow, hairy, rolled inward, and sparse.
Flowers
Flower color
Primarily white to pinkish
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
October
Flowers are primarily white to pinkish, can be yellow, orange or red, are held upright in multiple "corymbs", that are flat-topped flower formations in which each flower's stem is attached to the main stem at a different point.
Flower clusters
Rounded
Fruit
Fruit color
Brown or black
Fruit type
Achene
Seed is generally brown or black, cone shaped and hairy. Seed is small, less than 1/16 inch in size.