Colorado Desert Buckwheat (Eriogonum deserticola)
Description
Eriogonum deserticola is an intricately branched shrub growing up to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) tall and spreading to 3 metres (9.8 ft) or more in width.It has thin, gray-green stems coated in woolly white fibers. There are small oval-shaped leaves along the stem branches, but they are sometimes scoured off by the sand-laden winds. The stem is lined sparsely with small inflorescences bearing a few hairy yellow flowers each under five millimeters wide.This shrub is a host to the parasitic plant known as sand food (Pholisma sonorae). It is also host to an endemic jewel beetle, Prasinalia imperialis.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Caryophyllales
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Family: Polygonaceae
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Genus: Eriogonum
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