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Leafy
or wild buckwheat is a robust many-branched spreading shrub with small
densely-fascicled (hence the specific name) oblanceolate revolute leaves,
green and glabrous above, white-wooly below, and pinkish-white flowers
in dense terminal inflorescences. Very common and abundant on dry
slopes of chaparral and coastal sage scrub, buckwheat blooms throughout
much of the year, but primarily from May to November. It is related
to the commercial buckwheat that produces flour, but this species would
not be especially useful for that purpose. It is however utilized
by bees for making a very nice honey. Buckwheat is one of the most
typical, widespread and common plants of Southern California chaparral.
The Jepson Manual lists four main variants: fasciculatum,
primarily a coastal variant; flavoride, uncommon, from the
deserts to Baja; foliolosum, probably the most widespread
and common; and polifolium, the typical desert buckwheat. These
pictures were taken along the Mishe Mokwe Trail in the western part of
the Santa Monica Mountains and at Winter Creek in the San Gabriels.
Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Eriogonum
2) fasciculatum
3) foliolosum.
Pronunciation: er-ee-OG-an-um fa-sik-yoo-LAY-tum
fo-lee-oh-LO-sum.
Click here for Botanical
Term Meanings. |
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