Taxon Report

Eriogonum alpinum Engelm.

Trinity buckwheat

Print Report

Eric White 2010

Taxon Summary

Eriogonum alpinum, commonly known as Trinity buckwheat, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Polygonaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Alpine boulder and rock field, Subalpine coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1675 to 2900 meters. Eriogonum alpinum is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Eriogonum alpinum Engelm.
Common Name:	Trinity buckwheat
Family:	Polygonaceae
Element Code:	PDPGN08060
USDA Plants Symbol:	ERAL6
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Jun-Sep	Jun-Sep
Elevation:	1675-2900 (5495-9515)
General Habitats:	Alpine boulder and rock field, Subalpine coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Rocky, Serpentine
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	CE
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	USFS_S
CRPR Changes:	changed from 1B.3 to 1B.2 on 2006-01-19

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	18
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	11
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	5

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Siskiyou (SIS), Trinity (TRI)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Mount Eddy (4112234), Mumbo Basin (4112225), Scott Mountain (4112236), Seven Lakes Basin (4112224), South China Mtn. (4112235), Whisky Bill Peak (4112215)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	6
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	6	33 %
Grazing	4	22%
Foot traffic/trampling	2	11%
Mining	1	5%
ORV activity	1	5%
Development	1	5%
Erosion/runoff	1	5%

Notes



Known from the Mt. Eddy and Cory Pk. areas. See Botanical Gazette 7:6 (1882) for original description, and Phytologia 66(4):356-357 (1989) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Eriogonum alpinum account for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2022)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 4 November 2025].