Eriogonum nudum var. auriculatum

Ear-shaped wild buckwheat, Ear-Shaped Wild Buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Ear-shaped wild buckwheat is a California native perennial found in northwestern and central western California in sandy or gravelly habitats at elevations below 1,200 meters. Flowering from May to October, this plant produces delicate white to pink flowers, occasionally with a yellowish cast, in open branching clusters up to 80 centimeters wide. Growing 50 to 150 centimeters tall with slender, occasionally slightly inflated stems that are smooth or minimally hairy, it forms an airy, open structure. Its leaves are soft and woolly on the undersides, measuring 3 to 8 centimeters long and 2 to 4 centimeters wide, with upper surfaces appearing mostly smooth. The plant's expansive, loose flower clusters and soft-textured leaves make it a distinctive member of the wild buckwheat family.

Habitat: Common. Sand or gravel

Bloom period: May-Oct

Elevation: < 1200 m

Bioregions: NW, CW.

California counties: San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Napa, Monterey, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Marin, Humboldt, Lake, Kern, San Benito, Shasta, Merced, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Solano, Colusa, El Dorado

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