Blue Mountain buckwheat

Description

Eriogonum strictum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Blue Mountain buckwheat. It is a common plant of western North America from northern California to British Columbia where it is found along rocky slopes and scrubland. It flowers early in the summer. A perennial herb, the plant forms leaf mats up to 40 centimeters wideand many branches with erect inflorescences on stems ranging from 10 to 35 centimetres (3+7⁄8 to 13+3⁄4 in) in height. The woolly, oval-shaped leaves near the base are one to four centimeters long. The slender inflorescence stalks are naked but usually woolly and produce flower clusters at the top. The flowers are pale yellow, and darken to reddish or orange. Eriogonum is 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. It includes some common wildflowers such as the California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum).