Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

NPS Photo by Lee Ferguson

NPS Photo by Lee Ferguson

NPS Photo by Lee Ferguson

Photo © Al Schneider, www.swcoloradowildflowers.com

Cushion Buckwheat

Eriogonum ovalifolium

Family: Polygonaceae – Buckwheat Family

Perennial subshrubs; mound-forming; 0.4” to 1' (1 to 30 cm) tall

Leaves: basal; simple; woolly on both sides; 0.8” to 2.4” (2 to 6 cm) long; 0.04” to 0.6” (1 to 15 mm) wide

Flowers: 0 petals; 3+3 petaloid sepals; 9 stamens; 1 pistil; small flowers in clusters; flowers white, cream, yellow or suffused with pink, red, or purple; 0.12” to 0.28” (3 to 7 mm) long

Pollinators: other Eriogonum species are pollinated by bees

Fruits: achene

Blooms in Arches National Park: April, May, June

Habitat in Arches National Park: desert shrub and pinyon-juniper communities

Location seen: Park Avenue trail, Windows primitive trail, Fiery Furnace

Other: The genus name, “Eriogonum”, means “woolly knee” referring to the hairs located at the swollen joints of many species of this genus. The species name, “ovalifolium”, means "oval leaves".

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.