Scientific Family
Polygonaceae
Synonyms
Eriogonum trachygonum subsp. wrightii
Other common names
Wright's buckwheat
Plant type
Shrubs
Riparian
No
Plant Description
Origin
Native
Similar species
Eriogonum leptocladon, Eriogonum nummulare
Small, neat, mounded plant, slender stems with silvery leaves covered with dense, whitish hairs on the lower half and clusters of white to pale pink flowers along wiry stems above. Seed heads often dry to shades of rust-red persisting into the winter.
Stems woody at base, spreading to erect. Leaves mostly on lower stems, narrow to rounded, white hairs on both sides. Flower stems have several clusters of short-stalked white to pink flowers held together by a cup-shaped structure. Stamens protruding.
Height
1-1/2 feet
Width
2 feet
Habitat
Habitat description
Found in dry, rocky soils on gravelly flats and slopes.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
7000
Leaves
Leaf color
Gray-green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaf hairs
Top and bottom of leaves
Spines
No
Leaf Drop
Evergreen
Leaves are small, 1/2 inch long by 1/4 inch wide, narrowing to a point with a dense covering of white woolly hairs. Leaf margins are occasionally rolled under.
Flowers
Flower color
White to pale pink
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
October
Flowers usually attached directly in clusters along the upper 2 inches of a stem, can be scattered lower on the branches. Individual flowers have ruffled petals and sepals fused together at their base, petals have a pink stripe on their underside.
Flower clusters
Elongated
Fruit
Fruit color
Light brown to brown
Fruit type
Achene
Small, solitary achenes are enclosed by three bracts and are brown to light brown in color.