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 (under long) 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.
Taxonomy Eriogonum caespitosum was given its scientific name in 1834 by Thomas Nuttall, placing it in the Eriogonum genus. It is part of the Polygonaceae and has no accepted subspecies or varieties, but there are several that are considered botanical synonyms.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Notes Eriogonum andinum 1848 species = het. Eriogonum caespitosum var. alyssoides 1906 variety = het. Eriogonum caespitosum subsp. ramosum 1936 subspecies = het. Eriogonum caespitosum subsp. typicum 1936 subspecies ≡ hom. Eriogonum douglasii subsp. ramosum 1906 subspecies = het. Eriogonum sericoleucum 1923 species = het. Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. sericoleucum 1936 variety = het. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym
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.
Uses It is cultivated as a rock garden plant.
References
External links Jepson Manual Treatment Photo gallery