Eriogonum umbellatum var. humistratum

Mount eddy buckwheat, Mount Eddy Buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Mount eddy buckwheat is a rare California native perennial ranked 4.3 by CNPS, found in the Klamath Ranges and northern California Ranges, specifically in the White Mountains, Mount Eddy, Scott Mountains, and Mount Shasta regions on serpentine terrain at elevations of 1,700 to 2,800 meters. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces distinctive yellow flowers 3 to 6 millimeters long in delicate umbels. Growing as a low mat 1 to 3 meters in diameter with hairy stems 5 to 15 centimeters tall, it forms a compact ground-hugging structure. Its leaves are small, tomentose blades 5 to 15 millimeters long and wide, creating a dense silvery-green ground cover. The plant's compact mat form and silvery foliage make it particularly well-adapted to harsh, rocky serpentine environments.

Habitat: Serpentine

Bloom period: Jun-Sep

Elevation: 1700-2800 m

Bioregions: KR (White Mtn, Mount Eddy, Scott Mtn, Marble Mtns), n CaRH (Mount Shasta).

California counties: Siskiyou, Trinity, Shasta, Tehama

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