Naked-Stemmed Buckwheat (Eriogonum nudum var. auriculatum) Login         


        Description
  • Height to 2 ft.
  • EW Bloom Jun - Sep
  • Small spherical white and pink flower clusters are scattered among bare branches.
  • Leaves are only at the base of the plant.
  • Common in dry open places.
  • CA native.
  • AKA Naked Buckwheat, Nude Buckwheat
  • Buckwheat Family (Polygonaceae)



Small balls of tiny pink and white flowers grow at branch intersections and stem tips.



Leaves grow only at the bottom of the stem. They're green on top and pale and hairy underneath.



Open, branching stems are naked (thus nudum), without leaves.

   Photo Gallery (27 ) click any picture to enlarge
    

What I notice first about this plant is its bare, green stems. There are often plenty of leaves but they're all within a few inches of the ground.

Leaves are 1 to 3 inches long, connecting near the base of the plant on a long, slender stalk. The base of the stalk wraps around the stem. Notice ...

Leaves are green above, and dense grey-woolly below. The leaf blades are oval, and end abruptly at the stalk. Sometimes, the leaves have small [ ...

Flowers form in a tight ball at stem joints and tips - an easy-to-notice feature that tells you you're looking at a Buckwheat. Stem joints are swol ...

Flowers are clumped in tight [[umbels]], with a two-layered, small, green, vase-like [[involucre]] at the base. Notice each flower's six, tiny, whi ...