Eriogonum shockleyi var. shockleyi

Shockley's buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Shockley's buckwheat is a California native perennial found in the northern Desert Mountains and eastern Sierra Nevada in gravel or clay habitats at elevations of 1,200 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces white to rose or yellow flowers in compact head-like clusters 0.8 to 2 centimeters wide. Growing as a low-spreading mat forming patches up to 4 meters in diameter, it develops short stems covered in dense hair. Its basal leaves are small and woolly, measuring 3 to 8 millimeters long with a tomentose surface that gives the plant a soft, grayish appearance. The plant's compact growth and distinctive white to rose flowers make it a subtle but charming component of its arid mountain habitats.

Habitat: Gravel or clay

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: (800)1200-2600 m

Bioregions: SNE, n DMtns (Last Chance Range)

California counties: Inyo, Mono

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