Eriogonum kennedyi var. pinicola

Kern buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Kern buckwheat is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in the southern Sierra Nevada Foothills, specifically south of Cache Peak in southeastern Kern County, growing in gravelly habitats at elevations of 1,700 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces small white to reddish-white flowers in compact clusters. Growing with low, spreading stems 5 to 13 centimeters tall and reaching 1 to 3 meters in diameter, it forms a dense, mat-like groundcover. Its leaves are small and distinctive, with gray or red-white woolly surfaces, measuring 3 to 5 millimeters long and 1 to 4 millimeters wide with flat margins. The fruit is approximately 2.5 to 3 millimeters long, contributing to its delicate, low-growing form.

Habitat: Gravel

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 1700-1800 m

Bioregions: se SNF (s of Cache Peak, se Kern Co.).

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