Eriogonum microtheca var. schoolcraftii

Schoolcraft's wild buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Schoolcraft's wild buckwheat is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native shrub found in southern Lassen County in the Modoc Plateau, growing in gravelly areas at elevations of 1,400 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces yellow flowers in compact clusters 1 to 8 centimeters long. Growing 3 to 8 decimeters tall with a spread of 5 to 10 decimeters, it has hairy stems approximately 0.5 to 1.5 decimeters long. Its leaves are tomentose on the undersides, with blades 1.5 to 3.5 centimeters long and 0.5 to 1.2 centimeters wide, appearing soft and dense. The small yellow flowers and woolly foliage make this wild buckwheat a distinctive shrub of high-elevation gravelly landscapes.

Habitat: Gravel

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 1400-2200 m

Bioregions: s MP (s Lassen Co.)

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