Eriogonum fasciculatum is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names California buckwheat and flat-topped buckwheat. Characterized by small, white and pink flower clusters that give off a cottony effect, this species grows variably from a patchy mat to a wide shrub, with the flowers turning a rusty color after blooming. This plant is of great benefit across its various habitats, providing an important food resource for a diversity of insect and mammal species. It also provides numerous ecosystem services for humans, including erosion control, post-fire mitigation, increases in crop yields when planted in hedgerows, and high habitat restoration value. Description Eriogonum fasciculatum is variable in appearance, forming a patchy, compact mat or shrub approaching in height and across. The stems are up to long, and may be wooly, hairy, or smooth depending on the variety. The leaves are up to long and wide, with a long, narrow linear shape, and the edges of the leaves (margins) are rolled under. The inflorescence is up to tall by wide, with 3 to 8 involucres that are up to tall and wide. The flowers appear in dense, frilly clusters, with each individual flower colored pink and white and only a few millimeters across. The fruit is an achene, up to large and lacking any hair. After the fruits are set, the dry calyx provides buoyancy to the detached achenes, assisting in their dispersal by wind and water. Taxonomy Varieties There are a number of distinct varieties, they include: Eriogonum fasciculatum var. emphereium —endemic to western El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve in Baja California Sur. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. fasciculatum — Coastal California buckwheat, autonymous variety. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. flavoviride — eastern Mojave buckwheat, Sonoran Desert California buckwheat, bright green California buckwheat. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum — red topped buckwheat. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium — Mojave Desert California buckwheat, mountain buckwheat, gray-leaved California buckwheat. Distribution and habitat This common shrub is native to the Southwestern United States, California, and northwestern Mexico. It is found from the coasts and deserts of California and Baja California; eastwards through the Southern California Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and Peninsular Ranges; and further east into the Sonoran and Mojave deserts and the Great Basin. It is also distributed into Baja California Sur south to the Tres Virgenes and Vizcaino peninsula. It grows on slopes and dry washes in diverse habitats, including chaparral, coastal sage scrub, grasslands, sagebrush scrub,