Eriogonum pusillum – “Yellow Turban”

Family: Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
Bloom Period: Feb-Aug
Form: Annual herb
Habitat: Gravelly or sandy soils
Leaves: Ovate; 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 (but not this one); “pusillum” is Latin for “small.”
Native American Uses: The Kawaiisu ate the seeds and flowers.
Animal Associations: Food plant for the Desert Tortoise. Nectar source for the endangered Mojave Dotted-Blue butterfly, and a food plant for its larvae, which are protected and tended by ants in exchange for the honeydew they secrete. Also a host plant for the Dotted Blue butterfly.