Eriogonum deflexum var. baratum

Tall skeleton weed, Tall Skeleton Weed

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: annual · Native

Tall skeleton weed is a California native annual herb found in southern Sierra Nevada eastern slope, Tehachapi, southern San Joaquin Valley, Transverse Ranges, and northern and western Mojave Desert regions in sandy habitats at elevations of 700 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces small white to cream flowers in compact, narrowly erect inflorescences. Growing 30 to 100 centimeters tall with distinctively inflated stems that give it a skeletal appearance, the plant develops delicate, reflexed peduncles. Its leaves and stems are characterized by a somewhat swollen, inflated texture that creates an open, skeletal growth form. The plant's compact flower clusters, each involucre approximately 2.5 to 3 millimeters long, feature outer flower lobes with a distinctive cordate shape.

Habitat: Locally common. Sand

Bloom period: Jul-Oct

Elevation: 700-2900 m

Bioregions: s SNH (e slope), Teh, s SnJV, TR, n&ampw DMoj

California counties: Inyo, Kern, Mono, Tulare, San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Ventura

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