Eriogonum heermannii var. occidentale

Western heermann's buckwheat, Western Heermann's Buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Western heermann's buckwheat is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native shrub found in central San Benito and southern Monterey counties in gravel bars and steep clay slopes, often on serpentine terrain at elevations of 400 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces white to pink flowers in compact clusters 10 to 35 centimeters wide. Growing as a rounded shrub 1 to 2 meters tall with a similar diameter, it features densely clustered branches with smooth, glabrous stems. Its leaves are small and tomentose, measuring 1.5 to 3 centimeters long and 0.5 to 0.8 centimeters wide, occasionally becoming less hairy with age. The plant's distinctive white to pink flowers, each 3 to 4 millimeters long, are nestled in small involucres 2.5 to 3 millimeters wide.

Habitat: Gravel bars, steep, clay slopes, often serpentine

Bloom period: Jul-Oct

Elevation: (100)400-1000 m

Bioregions: c SCoRI (San Benito, s Monterey cos.).

California counties: San Benito, Monterey, Fresno

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