''Eriogonum intrafractum'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names jointed buckwheat and napkinring. This plant 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 Inyo County, California, where it is known only from the mountain ranges surrounding

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

. It is an uncommon, distinctive perennial herb which grows in scattered patches on rocky

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 ...

soils in these desert mountains.

Description

It forms a basal clump of woolly leaves up to seven centimeters long and bolts an erect, naked stem. The brown to reddish or tan stem branches very little or not at all. It is brittle and breaks into hollow, thin segments which are said to resemble

napkin ring The napkin ring, occasionally called a Christening bangle, was originally used to identify the napkins of a household between weekly wash days. The standard napkin ring is a simple ring made from skewers. The figural napkin ring is an American ...

s, hence its common name, the napkinring buckwheat. Clusters of flowers appear at nodes along this stem, which is actually part of 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 ...

. The clusters are densely packed with tiny yellow or red flowers.

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
intrafractum Endemic flora of California Flora of the California desert regions Death Valley National Park Natural history of Inyo County, California Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Polygonaceae-stub