Kingdom Plantae Family Polygonaceae Scientific name Eriogonum nudum Rank Species | Order Caryophyllales Genus Eriogonum Higher classification Eriogonum | |
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Similar Eriogonum, Eriogonum latifolium, Polygonaceae, Eriogonum umbellatum, Apodemia mormo langei | ||
Eriogonum nudum is a perennial shrub of the wild buckwheat genus which is known by the common name naked buckwheat or nude buckwheat.
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Description
The Eriogonum nudum plant is a tall, bare, leafless stem, bifurcating into more stems, each topped with rounded clusters of white or pale pink or yellow flowers growing up to six feet from a basal rosette at the ground, where the flat green leaves are located. An striking characteristic is that flower clusters typically occur at the branch as well as the branch tips. The naked stem gives the plant its common name.
Distribution
Naked buckwheat can be found scattered around the west coast of the United States. This species has one of the widest ecological distributions of all of the buckwheats. It can be found at wet coastal sea level locales and the coldest, driest elevations of the Sierra Nevada, as well as many areas in between.
The species is not uncommon, but some specific varieties are quite rare.
Butterflies
Nectar-feeding insects such as butterflies are attracted to buckwheat flowers. At least one butterfly subspecies (Apodemia mormo langei) uses naked buckwheat as its primary food source.
The complex of varieties and subspecies of naked buckwheat includes:
