coastal buckwheat Polygonaceae Eriogonum cinereum Benth. symbol: ERCI5 Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen, ovate to elliptical, to 1 inch long, margins wavy, woolly white above and below. Flower: Dense, terminal, rounded clusters of small light pink flowers on a long stem, appearing late summer through December. Fruit: Brown achene, not showy. Twig: Slender reddish brown, finely peeling. Bark: Light gray, splitting and becoming finely shreddy. Form: Small, open, multi-stemmed shrub up to 5 feet tall. Looks like: flat-top buckwheat Additional Range Information: Eriogonum cinereum is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting coastal buckwheat. External Links: USDA Plants Database © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson