Common name:
Redroot buckwheat
Family:
Scientific name:
Eriogonum racemosum
Main flower color:
Range:
The Four Corners states, west to south Nevada
Height:
Up to 3 feet
Habitat:
Foothills, dry meadows, gravelly flats, grassland, woodland; generally up to 9,500 feet
Leaves:
Basal, on short stalks, elliptic or ovate, 2 to 3 inches long
Season:
June to October
Eriogonum racemosum is a relatively easy species to identify on account of its distinctive tall, narrow, unbranched flower stalks (racemes). The ovate, grey-green leaves grow only around the base, and both upper and lower surfaces have a covering of short, matted, flattened hairs (tomentose). Leaves tend to angle vertically upwards.
Stalks are upright, bearing dozens of small, long-lasting flowers in groups along the upper half. Individual flowers have six, white to pale pink petals, with a darker lengthwise stripe along the middle, a cluster of pink-tipped stamens at the center and three triangular, scale-like bracts underneath. Flowers open at the lower end of the inflorescence initially, moving upwards as the season progresses. Petals become reddish brown when withered. Variable characteristics of this species include stem height, bract shape, leaf size, leaf shape and flower length, though no specific varieties are recognized.
Stalks are upright, bearing dozens of small, long-lasting flowers in groups along the upper half. Individual flowers have six, white to pale pink petals, with a darker lengthwise stripe along the middle, a cluster of pink-tipped stamens at the center and three triangular, scale-like bracts underneath. Flowers open at the lower end of the inflorescence initially, moving upwards as the season progresses. Petals become reddish brown when withered. Variable characteristics of this species include stem height, bract shape, leaf size, leaf shape and flower length, though no specific varieties are recognized.
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