Desert Trumpet (Bottlebush; Bottlestopper)

Eriogonum inflatum

Family: Polygonaceae – Buckwheat Family

Annual or perennial herbs; 3.15” to 4.3' (0.8 to 13 dm) tall

Leaves: basal; simple; entire to wavy or curled; has hairs; 0.16” to 1.2” (4 to 30 mm) long and that wide or wider

Flowers: 0 petals; 3+3 yellow or reddish petaloid sepals; 9 stamens; 1 pistil; small flowers in clusters; flowers 0.04” to 0.1” (1 to 2.5 mm) long

Pollinators: other Eriogonum species are pollinated by bees

Fruits: achene

Blooms in Arches National Park: April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November

Habitat in Arches National Park: desert shrub, grassland and pinyon-juniper communities; can be found on alluvial sand and gravel deposits, sandstone and siltstone formations and in the Mancos Shale, Morrison Formation, Chinle Formation and Moenkopi Formation

Location seen: all along park road, park road mile 0 to 2.5, Courthouse Towers, park road south of Balanced Rock near mile 8, Delicate Arch Viewpoint trail

Other: The genus name, “Eriogonum”, means “woolly knee” and refers to the hairs located at the swollen joints of many species of this genus. The species name, “inflatum”, means “inflated” and refers to the shape of the stem.

This family's scientific name, “Polygonaceae”, is derived from the Greek words "poly" which means "many" and "goni" which means "joint", a reference to many species that have swollen nodes or joints.