Scientific Family
Polygonaceae
Other common names
wire-stem Wild Buckwheat
ginseng buckwheat
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
4 to 12 inches
Riparian
No
Erect or spreading annual, up to 12 inches; leaves narrow with margins rolled under; white, long, tangled hairs on undersides of leaves; oval outer flower lobes with green midvein, white or pink sepals.
Annual, mostly erect; stems have long soft hairs; leaves narrow, undersides have white tangled hairs, margins turn under; flowers, no petals, sepals white or pink, outer lobes have green midvein; flower clusters of 10 plus on stems, stamens 9, styles 3.
Habitat
Sandy or gravelly slopes, sagebrush and mountain mahogany communities, oak, pinyon-juniper and montane conifer woodlands.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Low elevation
4500
High elevation
7000
Flower Characteristics
Solitary whorl of bracts on 1 to 2 inches long slender flower stalk from a leaf axil; bracts 1/16 inch long, bell-shaped, usually more than 10-flowered; no petals; sepals white or pink; the broad, oval outer lobes with prominent green midvein.
Flower color
White, pink
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
July
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems ascending or spreading, branching in 2s above base; leaves concentrated around base, narrow, 3/4 inch long and 1/4 inch wide, with soft, short hairs above and white, long, tangled hairs beneath; stalkless or short-stalked with margins rolled under.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Achenes angled but not winged, brown to blackish, lens-shaped, 1/16 inch long, smooth.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Brown to blackish