''Eriogonum rixfordii'' is an uncommon species of wild buckwheat known by the common name pagoda buckwheat. It is native to the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

, where it grows in

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 ...

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 ...

and adjacent parts of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Description

This is an annual herb growing up to 40 centimeters tall. It is shaped like a

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

, with a narrow base of stems spreading out into a wider

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 ...

, which is a multilayered array of slender branches. The branches are lined with tiny bell-shaped clusters of minute white to reddish flowers.Flora of North America Profile
/ref> One threat to the survival of the interesting-looking plant is collectors who pick it and take it home.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Eriogonum rixfordii''''Eriogonum rixfordii'' - Photo gallery
rixfordii Flora of Nevada Flora of the California desert regions Death Valley Natural history of the Mojave Desert {{Polygonaceae-stub