Scientific Family
Polygonaceae
Synonyms
Eriogonum ericifolium var. pulchrum, E. mearnsii var. pulchrum
Other common names
Meteor Crater wild buckwheat
Sowy Wild Buckwheat
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Similar species
Eriogonum ericifolium
Height
To 6 inches
Riparian
No
Spreading branches form mats, grayish or mostly reddish in appearance; stems slightly spreading or erect, leaves are often persistent (not deciduous), narrow, grayish-green; flowering stems spreading to erect; flowers white to dark pink in round clusters
Subshrub, spreading; stems branching in 2s, hairy, slightly spreading to erect; leaves narrow, hairy, persistent, margins can roll inward; flowers white to dark pink, in rounded clusters, subtended by 3 scale-like bracts; stamens slightly beyond petals.
Habitat
Gravelly to rocky volcanic soil and outcrops. Scattered populations north of the Mogollon Rim and also found in northern Yavapai County.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
3200
High elevation
6900
Flower Characteristics
Flowers in flat-topped flower clusters, no petals, 2 types of sepals, outer sespals nearly circular, tips slightly notched, inner sepals lance-like, pointed at the base; stamens slightly protruding, filaments hairy near base.
Flower color
White or dark pink
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
August
Last bloom month
November
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stem leaves 1 per node or in bundles, short stemmed, very hairy; blade lance-like pointed at base to narrowly oval, densely white-densely hairy upper surface, woolly tufts of hair and greenish below, margins slightly turned under or merely thickened. Â
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Grayish-green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Smooth except for small bump-like beak at top.
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit color
Light brown