Eriogonum heracleoides facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eriogonum heracleoides |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eriogonum
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| Species: |
heracleoides
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Eriogonum heracleoides, also known as Parsnipflower Buckwheat, is a cool plant found in western North America. It has lots of flowers that are usually creamy white. You can often spot it growing in rocky places, like dry sagebrush areas or Ponderosa pine forests. This plant belongs to the Eriogonum group and the Polygonaceae family, which is also called the "knotweed family." It grows across much of the western United States and southern British Columbia in Canada.
What It Looks Like
The Parsnipflower Buckwheat is a plant that stands upright. It's a herbaceous perennial, meaning it has soft stems and lives for more than two years. It usually grows to be about 40 cm (15.7 in) tall.
Flowers and Leaves
Its small flowers can be white, light yellow, or sometimes even a little pink. They are tiny, measuring only about 4–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in). The leaves grow in a loose circle, like a rosette. They are covered with soft, woolly hairs on both sides and are about 5–30 mm (0.2–1.2 in) long.
The flowers have one carpel, which is the part that develops into the fruit (a small, dry seed called an achene). A cool thing about this plant is that its leaves are arranged in a "whorl" around the middle of its stem.
When It Blooms
This plant blooms in the early to middle part of summer. It's a favorite for many creatures! It attracts butterflies, bees, and other insects, as well as birds. It's also a special "host plant" for several types of Palouse butterflies, meaning these butterflies lay their eggs on it.
