Eriogonum caespitosum
Eriogonum caespitosum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name matted buckwheat, mat buckwheat, or cushion desert buckwheat.
Description
The species is a tough perennial plant which grows in flat, woody mats in sand and gravel substrates. It has small, fuzzy gray leaves which are scoop-shaped due to their rolled edges.In early summer, short stalks emerge from the mat with inflorescences of greenish-yellow and whitish rounded clusters of flowers. These redden with age and hang backwards over the edge of the involucre. The species is dioecious. Some of the flowers are bisexual and up to 1cm wide each, and some are only staminate and much smaller.
Distribution and habitat
It is a common perennial plant native to the western United States from California to Montana, especially the Great Basin.It prefers middle and high elevations, from shrub–steppe to rocky environs.