Annual Eriogonum species of the Desert Floor

Annual Eriogonum species of the Desert Floor

Eriogonum inflatum, desert trumpet
754 iNat observations
296 on or near the desert floor in the Borrego Valley Eriogonum thomasii, Thomas's wild buckwheat
359 iNat observations
168 on or near the desert floor in the Borrego Valley Eriogonum trichopes, little desert trumpet
227 iNat observations
115 on or near the desert floor in the Borrego Valley
Fig. 1. The leaves and flowers of our three most common annual Eriogonum species that grow on the desert floor. Since the flowers are tiny, the leaves are the best method to use in the field to distinguish them.
E. inflatum has prominantly-wrinkled gray-green leaves. E. trichopes has usually-less-wrinkled yellow-green leaves. E. thomasii has obviously-hairy leaves that vary considerably in color from gray-green to gray to brownish.
All have yellow flowers with hairs on the back of the petals, that grow in small clusters at the tip of wiry glabrous peduncles. Although the buds of E. inflatum appear reddish in the picture here, it can also have greenish buds like those of E. trichopes.
The petals of E. thomasii are very different from those of the other two species, more of an oblong shape, often, but not always, with what look like "rocket ship boosters" at the base of the petals, especially as the flowers age. All grow at elevations from sea level to above 3,000 feet.
E. inflatum is a perennial / subshrub that often flowers in its first year and does not survive the summer, and therefore appears to be an annual. Multi-year plants are different at a glance from the annual-appearing plants, being larger, with many more leaves, and often have old stems from a previous year.
Click on the pictures to go to the iNat observation of each.

This page is just a place-holder for now to show the leaves and flowers side-by-side of our three most common annual Eriogonum species that grow on the desert floor. These three species have 754 (E. inflatum), 359 (E. thomasii), and 227 (E. trichopes) iNat observations in the Borrego Desert iNat Project, with the next most common annual Eriogonum species having only 82 observations (E. deflexum).
See also Eriogonum trichopes and E. inflatum, little desert trumpet, and desert trumpet.

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Plant Species of the Borrego Desert

Copyright © 2023 by Tom Chester.
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Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 23 February 2023




Eriogonum inflatum, desert trumpet 754 iNat observations 296 on or near the desert floor in the Borrego Valley	Eriogonum thomasii, Thomas's wild buckwheat 359 iNat observations 168 on or near the desert floor in the Borrego Valley	Eriogonum trichopes, little desert trumpet 227 iNat observations 115 on or near the desert floor in the Borrego Valley
Fig. 1. The leaves and flowers of our three most common annual Eriogonum species that grow on the desert floor. Since the flowers are tiny, the leaves are the best method to use in the field to distinguish them. E. inflatum has prominantly-wrinkled gray-green leaves. E. trichopes has usually-less-wrinkled yellow-green leaves. E. thomasii has obviously-hairy leaves that vary considerably in color from gray-green to gray to brownish. All have yellow flowers with hairs on the back of the petals, that grow in small clusters at the tip of wiry glabrous peduncles. Although the buds of E. inflatum appear reddish in the picture here, it can also have greenish buds like those of E. trichopes. The petals of E. thomasii are very different from those of the other two species, more of an oblong shape, often, but not always, with what look like "rocket ship boosters" at the base of the petals, especially as the flowers age. All grow at elevations from sea level to above 3,000 feet. E. inflatum is a perennial / subshrub that often flowers in its first year and does not survive the summer, and therefore appears to be an annual. Multi-year plants are different at a glance from the annual-appearing plants, being larger, with many more leaves, and often have old stems from a previous year. Click on the pictures to go to the iNat observation of each.