Wright's Buckwheat
Bastard-sage
Eriogonum wrightii
Wright's Buckwheat, Eriogonum wrightii. Catalina State Park, Sta. Catalina Mts., AZ. 19 Sept. 1994. At center right, enlarged view of a group of small flowers arising from a cup-like involucre.
SHRUB: A weakly woody shrub normally about
½ to 1 meter tall.
LEAVES: Grayish-green leaves are elyptic and 1 to 2 cm long. Fine
pubescence on leaves, young stems and floral bracts. Plant is sometimes called
Wooly Buckwheat.
RANGE: Common through much of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona especially
on bajadas and rocky slopes from 500 to well over 1000 m elevation. Also found
in higher elevation semi-arid habitats such as desert grassland, openings in
chaparral and piñon-juniper woodlands.
FRUIT: Small achenes partially enclosed by three bracts.
FLOWERS: Clusters of five-poined pinkish-white flowers are set in a
cup-shaped involucre derived from fused, bracts (enlarged view at right in the
sketch).
UNARMED.
Polygonaceae -- Buckwheat Family
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Observed near Quien Sabe Peak, Maricopa Co., Arizona, USA, Sept. 2009.