Eriogonum wrightii var. olanchense

Olancha peak buckwheat, Olancha Peak Buckwheat

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3

Olancha peak buckwheat is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native shrub found in southern Sierra Nevada Mountains at Olancha Peak in Tulare County, growing in gravel or rocky habitats at elevations of 3,500 to 3,600 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces white to pink flowers in small, compact head-like clusters. Growing as a low-spreading mat only 10 to 30 centimeters wide with a diameter of 0.5 to 3 centimeters, it forms a sparse, tomentose ground cover. Its tiny leaves are extremely small, measuring just 1 to 2.5 millimeters long and 0.6 to 1.2 millimeters wide. The plant's delicate white to pink flowers, measuring 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters long, emerge in dense, clustered formations characteristic of its genus.

Habitat: Gravel or rock

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 3500-3600 m

Bioregions: s SNH (Olancha Peak, Tulare Co.).

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