Eriogonum thomasii
Desert annual herb in the Polygonaceae, up to 30 cm tall, with a basal rosette of rounded leaves, glabrous greenish to reddish stems, open cymose inflorescences, tiny yellow-to-rose flowers, and year-round flowering on sandy flats and washes across the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.
Common Names
Thomas' Buckwheat, Thomas' Wild Buckwheat, Thomas Eriogonum, Thomas Buckwheat
Summary
Thomas' buckwheat is an annual herb in the Polygonaceae native to the desert southwest United States and northwestern Mexico, including Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Baja California, and Sonora. It grows up to about 30 cm tall with a basal rosette of rounded leaves around the stem, and displays a wide open inflorescence of tiny flowers that range in color from cream to pink, white, or yellow and bloom year-round.
It is drought-tolerant with low water needs and occurs in sandy flats, washes, and slopes within desert plant communities such as creosote bush scrub and Joshua Tree Woodland. Common to abundant and sometimes weedy, this species attracts bees and butterflies as visitors to its flowers.
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
2-12 inches
Soil Type
Sandy soil
Bloom Color
Yellow to pinkish
Bloom Time
Year-round
Foliage Color
Greenish, sometimes grayish or reddish.
Leaf Lifecycle
Other
Growth Rate
Annual
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Torr.
- Publication
- Pacif. Railr. Rep. Williamson & Abbot, Bot. 5(2; 7): 364 (1857)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Caryophyllales
- Family
- Polygonaceae
- Genus
- Eriogonum