Eriogonum thornei

Thorne's buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Thorne's buckwheat is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the eastern Desert Mountains, specifically the New York Mountains, growing in gravelly habitat at an elevation of 1,800 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces delicate white flowers in small, compact clusters with outer perianth lobes that are obovate and inner lobes oblanceolate. Growing as a low, spreading mat up to 10 centimeters in diameter, it features thin stems less than 2 centimeters tall that are generally hairy. Its leaves are tiny, linear, and less than 6 millimeters long, with margins rolled under and a woolly texture on the upper surface. The fruit is approximately 2 to 2.5 millimeters long, with a distinctive bumpy tip.

Habitat: Gravel

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 1800 m

Bioregions: e DMtns (New York Mtns).

California counties: San Bernardino

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