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Eriogonum palmerianum - Palmer's buckwheat

Scientific Family
Polygonaceae
Synonyms
Eriogonum baileyi
Other common names
Palmer's wild buckwheat
skeleton weed
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
To 1 foot
Riparian
No

Basal leaves with erect, leafless flower stems. Stems and leaves are covered with tufts of soft, tangled hairs.

Flowers white to pink or pale yellow, outer perianth lobes (petals and sepals) narrowly fan-shaped; flower clusters generally sparsely branched, branches not inwardly curved; fruit about 1/16 inch. Leaves basal.

Habitat

Sandy to gravelly washes, flats, and slopes. Roadsides. Mesquite-grassland. Chaparral communities. Pinyon and/or juniper woodlands.

Plant Community
Disturbed Areas
Interior Chaparral
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Grasslands
Low elevation
2000
High elevation
7500

Flower Characteristics

Flowers are small, about 1/16 inch wide, and emerge along the plant stems without peduncles (flower stalks). Flowers start out white to pink or pale yellow, then pink to red in age.

Flower color
White to pink or pale yellow to red
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Elongated

Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Basal leaves are 3/16 to 3/4 inches wide, rounded to heart-shaped. The flower stems are leafless.

Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Grayish to greenish
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaf attachment
Basal
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No

Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Achenes are triangular and about 1/16 inch in size.

Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Brown