''Eriogonum breedlovei'' is a rare species of wild buckwheat known by the common name Paiute buckwheat. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the High Sierra Nevada of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where its two varieties are uncommon members of the flora in

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

rocky high mountain habitat.

Description

''Eriogonum breedlovei'' is a perennial herb forming low mats of spreading stems lined with woolly oval leaves no longer than about a centimeter. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a cluster of tiny white to reddish, hairy flowers.

Varieties

Both varieties of this species are rare: *var. ''breedlovei'', Breedlove's buckwheat, is endemic to the

Piute Mountains The Piute Mountains are a mountain range located in the Eastern Mojave Desert and within Mojave Trails National Monument, in San Bernardino County, California. Geography The range crosses Interstate 40 at Mountain Springs Summit, 2,770 feet abo ...

Kern County, California Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Kern County comprise ...

, where only a few occurrences are known. *var. ''shevockii'', Shevock's buckwheat or The Needles buckwheat, can be found on a few Sierra peaks, including The Needles, in Kern and Tulare Counties.

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Eriogonum breedlovei''
breedlovei Endemic flora of California Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Polygonaceae-stub