''Eriogonum cithariforme'' is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common name cithara 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 else ...

to the

Transverse Ranges The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie within Santa ...

and Southern Outer

California Coast Ranges The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges and the Klamath Mountains. P ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

. It grows in sandy areas in a number of local habitat types, such as chaparral.

Description

''Eriogonum cithariforme'' is an annual herb growing up to about half a meter in maximum height with a spreading or erect flowering stem with many upcurved branches. The wavy, woolly leaves are round to oval in shape and are mainly located about the base of the stem. They are greenish in colour. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

is lined with many clusters of white to pinkish flowers with a dark central stripe. At 3-4mm in size these flowers are large compared to most other genus members. In younger plants inflorescence clusters are limited to branch junctions, but in age clusters are born along the upper stem as well.

External links

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Jepson Manual Treatment of ''Eriogonum cithariforme''cithariforme'' — Photo gallery
cithariforme Endemic flora of California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Polygonaceae-stub