Eriogonum butterworthianum

Butterworth's buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Butterworth's buckwheat is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native shrub found in the northern Santa Lucia Range in central Monterey County's sandstone habitats at elevations of 650 to 700 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces cream to rose-colored flowers in compact clusters approximately 3 to 5 millimeters long. Growing as a low subshrub 10 to 40 centimeters tall with a dense spread of 10 to 40 centimeters, it features woolly tomentose stems and branches. Its small leaves are dense and tomentose, measuring 5 to 20 millimeters long and 1 to 4 millimeters wide, with a sheathing base. The fruit is smooth and measures 3 to 3.5 millimeters long.

Habitat: Sandstone

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: 650-700 m

Bioregions: n SCoRO ("The Indians," Santa Lucia Range, c Monterey Co.).

California counties: Monterey

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