Eriogonum ursinum
Encyclopedia
Eriogonum ursinum is a species of wild buckwheat
known by the common names Bear Valley buckwheat and talus buckwheat. It is endemic to northern California
where it is found on mountains from the northern Sierra Nevada to the southern Klamath Mountains
.
, spreading to 60 centimeters wide at the base and growing erect inflorescence
s up to 40 centimeters high. The leaves are pale green to yellowish, woolly, and up to about two centimeters long. The compound inflorescence is made up of clusters of pale yellow to pale pink flowers atop long, naked stems.
Eriogonum
Eriogonum is the scientific name for a genus of flowering plants, in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is found in North America and is known as wild buckwheat. This is a highly species-rich genus, and indications are that active speciation is continuing...
known by the common names Bear Valley buckwheat and talus buckwheat. It is endemic to northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
where it is found on mountains from the northern Sierra Nevada to the southern Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
.
Description
This is an uncommon perennial herb growing mats of leaves from a woody caudexCaudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
, spreading to 60 centimeters wide at the base and growing erect inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s up to 40 centimeters high. The leaves are pale green to yellowish, woolly, and up to about two centimeters long. The compound inflorescence is made up of clusters of pale yellow to pale pink flowers atop long, naked stems.