Taxon Report

Eriogonum spectabile B.L. Corbin, Reveal & R. Barron

Barron's buckwheat

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Eriogonum spectabile, commonly known as Barron's buckwheat, is a perennial evergreen shrub in the Polygonaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 2010 to 2050 meters. Eriogonum spectabile is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Eriogonum spectabile B.L. Corbin, Reveal & R. Barron
Common Name:	Barron's buckwheat
Family:	Polygonaceae
Element Code:	PDPGN08750
USDA Plants Symbol:	ERSP20
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial evergreen shrub
Blooming Period: Jul-Sep	Jul-Sep
Elevation:	2010-2050 (6595-6725)
General Habitats:	Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Rocky (sometimes), Sandy (sometimes)
Microhabitat Details:	glaciated andesite

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	USFS_S
CRPR Changes:	changed from 1B.2 to 1B.1 on 2004-07-08

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	2
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	2
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Plumas (PLU)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Red Cinder (4012142)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	2	100 %
Logging	2	100%
Insufficient population/stand size	1	50%

Notes



Known from only two occurrences in Lassen N.F. Potentially threatened by logging, trampling and vehicles. Not in The Jepson Manual. See Madroño 47(2):134 (2000) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

CRPR List Addition on 2004-07-08

Eriogonum spectabile profile for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2017)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 19 November 2025].