Taxon Report

Eriogonum microtheca Nutt. var. alpinum Rev.

alpine slender buckwheat

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Eriogonum microtheca var. alpinum, commonly known as alpine slender buckwheat, is a perennial herb in the Polygonaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Alpine dwarf scrub, and Great Basin scrub, growing at elevations from 2500 to 3300 meters. Eriogonum microtheca var. alpinum is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Eriogonum microtheca Nutt. var. alpinum Rev.
Common Name:	alpine slender buckwheat
Family:	Polygonaceae
Element Code:	PDPGN083WA
USDA Plants Symbol:	ERMIA
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Sep	Jul-Sep
Elevation:	2500-3300 (8205-10825)
General Habitats:	Alpine dwarf scrub, Great Basin scrub
Microhabitat:	Gravelly (sometimes), Rocky (sometimes)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G5T3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Alpine (ALP), Mono (MNO), San Bernardino (SBD), Tuolumne (TUO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Alkali (3811922), Bodie (3811921), Bridgeport (3811932), Buckeye Ridge (3811924), Carson Pass (3811968), Chris Flat (3811944), Convict Lake (3711857), Crestview (3711878), Cucamonga Peak (3411725), Disaster Peak (3811946), Dome Hill (3811931), Dunderberg Peak (3811913), Ebbetts Pass (3811957), Fales Hot Springs (3811934), Indian Meadows (3711886), Koip Peak (3711972), Lundy (3811912), Mammoth Mtn. (3711961), Mount Dana (3711982), Mt. Patterson (3811943), Pickel Meadow (3811935), Sonora Pass (3811936), Tioga Pass (3711983)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



See Brigham Young University Science Bulletin 13(1):31 (1971) for original description, and Phytologia 66(4):311-313 (1989) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 3 July 2025].