Rock buckwheat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rock buckwheat |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Eriogonum
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| Species: |
sphaerocephalum
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Rock buckwheat, officially known as Eriogonum sphaerocephalum, is a type of wild buckwheat plant. You can find it growing in the western United States. It lives mainly in areas east of the Cascade Range mountains in Washington and Oregon, stretching into Idaho. It also grows from southern Oregon and northern California up to northern Nevada. This plant is often seen in deserts, rocky places, and sagebrush steppe areas. Rock buckwheat can grow at many different heights above sea level, but it is most common between 2,000 and 7,000 feet high.
About Rock Buckwheat
Eriogonum sphaerocephalum is a small plant. It grows as a shrub, which is a woody plant smaller than a tree. It can reach up to 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) tall and wide. This plant grows from a thick, woody base called a caudex. From this base, straight stems grow upwards, holding the flowers.
The leaves of the rock buckwheat are covered in soft, woolly hairs. They are shaped like wide spearheads or slightly oval. Each leaf is about 1 to 4 centimeters long. These leaves grow in a circle around the base of the plant, forming what looks like a rosette.
The flowers grow on a tall stalk. Many small yellow flowers are grouped together at the top of the stalk. They form a round, head-like cluster or a flat-topped cluster called an umbel. The parts of the flower that look like petals are called tepals. They are usually yellow, but sometimes they can be white or pink.
Different Kinds of Rock Buckwheat
Just like there can be different types of apples, there are also different types, or varieties, of rock buckwheat. Here are a few:
- E. s. var. fasciculifolium: This variety is special because it only grows in Idaho. When a plant only grows in one specific place, it is called endemic.
- E. s. var. halimioides: This type of rock buckwheat is found in many places. It has flowers that are a very light yellow color.
- E. s. var. sphaerocephalum: This variety is known for its bright yellow flowers.
