''Eriogonum arborescens'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Santa Cruz Island buckwheat. Calflora: ''Eriogonum arborescens''
/ref>Jepson eFlora: ''Eriogonum arborescens''
/ref>

Description

''Eriogonum arborescens'' is a woody

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

that grows from in height, and sprawling from in diameter. The stems have shreddy maroon-brown bark. They bear narrow, fuzzy green leaves at the ends of the branches, each 2 to 5 centimeters long and sometimes with edges rolled under. The frilly inflorescences of densely clustered flowers erect on nearly naked peduncles. Each flower is only a few millimeters wide, very light pink in color, with nine protruding

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s. The bloom period is from April to October. Eriogonum arborescens 1

Distribution and habitat

This

is endemic to the northern Channel Islands of California except San Miguel Island. It is found in

coastal sage scrub Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is w ...

and

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

habitats, between .

Uses

This species, and most buckwheats (''Eriogonum'' sp.), are of special value to butterflies and native bees.Theodore Payne Foundation, California Natives Wiki: ''Eriogonum arborescens''
/ref> Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center−NPIN.org: ''Eriogonum arborescens''
/ref>

Cultivation

''Eriogonum arborescens'' is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for planting in native plant, drought tolerant, and in butterfly gardens and other wildlife gardens; and for larger designed natural landscaping and habitat restoration projects. Las Pilitas Nursery Horticultural Database: ''Eriogonum arborescens'' (Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat)
/ref>

References

External links