Eriogonum microtheca
Great basin buckwheat
(c) Jared Shorma, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polygonaceae · Type: Shrub · Native
Eriogonum microtheca (Great basin buckwheat) is a native California shrub in the Polygonaceae family.
Great basin buckwheat is a California native shrub found in arid regions of the Great Basin and eastern California desert areas at elevations of 1,000 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces delicate flowers in white, yellow, pink, and rose colors with orange and red variations, clustered in compact inflorescences. Growing as a low-spreading subshrub 20 to 150 centimeters in diameter with slender stems, it forms dense mounded clusters in desert landscapes. Its leaves are narrow and linear, measuring 1 to 3.5 centimeters long, with a soft tomentose surface that gives the plant a distinctive grayish-green appearance. The fruit is small, smooth, and approximately 1.5 to 3 millimeters in length, typical of buckwheat species in arid environments.
How to tell it apart
vs Adenostoma: Eriogonum has flowers in cup-like involucres; Adenostoma has tiny white rose-family flowers in spikes.; vs Salvia: Eriogonum has six similar perianth parts; Salvia has two-lipped tubular flowers.; vs Fagopyrum: Eriogonum has flowers in involucred clusters; Fagopyrum has loose branching sprays without involucres.; vs Artemisia: Eriogonum has cup-surrounded flower clusters; Artemisia has tiny inconspicuous heads in drooping sprays.; vs Chorizanthe: Eriogonum has multiple flowers per involucre; Chorizanthe has one flower per involucre with spiny teeth.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eriogonum microtheca native to California?
Yes. Eriogonum microtheca is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Eriogonum microtheca belong to?
Eriogonum microtheca is in the Polygonaceae family, genus Eriogonum.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Eriogonum microtheca var. alpinum — Alpine slender buckwheat
- Eriogonum microtheca var. ambiguum — Yellow-flowered wild buckwheat
- Eriogonum microtheca var. corymbosoides — San bernardino wild buckwheat
- Eriogonum microtheca var. johnstonii — Johnston's buckwheat
- Eriogonum microtheca var. lacus-ursi — Bear lake buckwheat
- Eriogonum microtheca var. lapidicola — Inyo mountains buckwheat
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.