Eriogonum grande var. grande

Island buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Island buckwheat is a California native shrub found on San Miguel, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, Santa Catalina, and San Clemente islands in sandy coastal habitats at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from March to October, this plant produces delicate white flowers in large, spreading inflorescences 20 to 100 centimeters wide. Growing as a subshrub 50 to 150 centimeters tall with often inflated stems that are smooth and glabrous, it develops a distinctive spreading form. Its leaves are tomentose underneath and nearly smooth on top, with blades 2 to 10 centimeters long and 2 to 6 centimeters wide. The plant is widely cultivated along the California coast and occasionally establishes itself beyond its native island habitats.

Habitat: Sand

Bloom period: Mar-Oct

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: ChI (San Miguel, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, Santa Catalina, San Clemente islands) widely cult, occasionally established CW.

California counties: Ventura, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz

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