The BioFiles - Bill Hubick

Pagoda Buckwheat (Eriogonum rixfordii)

Source: Wikipedia

Eriogonum rixfordii

Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Eriogonum
Species:
E. rixfordii
Binomial name
Eriogonum rixfordii

Eriogonum rixfordii is an uncommon species of wild buckwheat known by the common name pagoda buckwheat. It is native to the Mojave Desert, where it grows in California's Death Valley and adjacent parts of Nevada.

Description

[edit]

This is an annual herb growing up to 40 centimeters tall. It is shaped like a pagoda, with a narrow base of stems spreading out into a wider inflorescence, which is a multilayered array of slender branches. The branches are lined with tiny bell-shaped clusters of minute white to reddish flowers.[2]

One threat to the survival of the interesting-looking plant is collectors who pick it and take it home.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  2. ^ Flora of North America Profile
[edit]