Virginia Tech Dendrology

coastal buckwheat Polygonaceae Eriogonum cinereum Benth. Listen to the Latin 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
leaf flower bark form1 map
Additional Range Information: Eriogonum cinereum is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material © 2018 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range maps courtesy USGS from USDA "Atlas of United States Trees" by Elbert L. Little, Jr., Vol. 1 (1971) 3 (1976) 4 (1977) 5 (1978)