Eriogonum palmerianum – “Palmer Buckwheat”

Family: Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
Bloom Period: Mar-Oct
Form: Annual herb
Habitat: Gravelly or sandy soils
Leaves: Basal; usually dessicated by the time flowering commences
Translation: “Eriogonum” is Greek for “woolly joint” and refers to the fuzzy-looking flowers that grow at the stem joints of some species in this genus (like this one); “palmerianum” is named for Edward Palmer (1829/1830?-1911), English-born U.S. plant collector, zoologist, archaeologist and ethnologist.