Trinity buckwheat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Trinity buckwheat
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Polygonaceae
Genus:	Eriogonum
Species:	E. alpinum
Binomial name
Eriogonum alpinum Engelm.
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The Eriogonum alpinum is a special type of wild buckwheat plant. People often call it the Trinity buckwheat. It's a small plant that grows in mats and is quite rare.

Discover the Trinity Buckwheat!

Where Does This Plant Live?

This rare plant is only found in one specific area: northern California. It grows in the Mount Eddy and Cory Peak areas. These spots are part of the Trinity Mountains, which are inside the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. You can find it in southern Siskiyou County and northwestern Trinity County.

The Trinity buckwheat likes to grow in rocky soils that contain a special type of rock called serpentine soils. It lives high up in the mountains, at elevations between 2,185 and 2,900 meters (about 7,169 to 9,514 feet). It prefers cool mountain forests, like subalpine coniferous forest and upper montane coniferous forest, as well as open, rocky areas called alpine fell-fields. The Trinity Mountains are part of the larger Klamath Mountains System.

What Does the Trinity Buckwheat Look Like?

The Trinity buckwheat is a perennial herb, which means it's a plant that lives for many years. It grows in low, spreading mats. These mats are usually no more than 15 centimeters (about 6 inches) wide and 8 centimeters (about 3 inches) tall.

Its leaves are rounded and have a woolly, greenish look. Each leaf is about one to three centimeters long. When it blooms, the plant produces a straight stem with a cluster of bright yellow to pinkish flowers. Each flower is quite small, less than a centimeter wide. After the flowers, the plant makes a small, dry fruit called an achene, which is about half a centimeter long.

Why is This Plant Important?

The Trinity buckwheat is considered an endangered species. This means there are very few of these plants left in the wild. Both the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Native Plant Society have listed it as endangered. This helps protect the plant and its habitat.