Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium
Common:Flattop buckwheat, Mojave buckwheat, Eastern Mojave buckwheat, Desert wild buckwheat
Family: Polygonaceae
Origin: Southern California, Utah, Arizona, at 1000 to 4500 feet elevation (300-1300 m)
Light: Full sun
Water: Little to moderate water in Phoenix, no to little water elsewhere. Needs well
drained sandy or gravelly soil.
Perennial shrub, up to 3 feet tall (90 cm), 4 feet spread (1.2 m); small dark green leaves with wooly undersides. Pinkish or white flowers, i flattened clusters, in summer.
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.
When the shrub is becoming to leggy, it needs to be replaced.