Eriogonum breedlovei var. shevockii

The needles buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

The needles buckwheat is a rare (CNPS 4.3) California native perennial found in southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, specifically in the Needles, Baker Point, Little Kern River Gorge areas of Kern and Tulare counties on granite landscapes at elevations of 1,800 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from June to October, this plant produces small white to cream-colored flowers in delicate clusters. Growing with suberect to prostrate stems that are thinly covered in glandular hairs, it forms low, compact mats across rocky terrain. Its leaves are small and clustered, providing a subtle, textured appearance against the granite landscape. This distinctive buckwheat thrives in harsh, high-elevation environments, adapting to the rugged granite outcrops of the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Habitat: Granite

Bloom period: Jun-Oct

Elevation: 1800-2300 m

Bioregions: s SNH (The Needles, Baker Point, Little Kern River Gorge, Kern, Tulare cos.).

California counties: Kern, Tulare

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.