About Eriogonum coloradense Small
Eriogonum coloradense, commonly called Colorado buckwheat, is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States. This is a mat-forming herb that only grows a few centimeters tall. Its leaves grow around the base of the plant, reaching up to 4 to 5 centimeters long; they are mostly green on their upper surface and woolly on their undersides. Inflorescences grow on flowering stems that reach up to around 10 centimeters tall, and each inflorescence is a cluster of tiny white to pink flowers. This species is most closely related to Eriogonum lonchophyllum, and some authors, including noted Eriogonum expert James Reveal, suspect it may actually be a form of E. lonchophyllum. Most known populations of this Colorado endemic plant grow near the Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness. It has a broad ecological range, and can grow in many different habitat types. It grows on a wide variety of soils, on both flat and sloping terrain across all slope aspects, and on a number of different landforms. It occurs in several different plant communities, and grows across a range of elevations. Despite its ability to thrive in a broad range of environmental conditions, it remains unclear why this plant is not more common. The main threat to this species is recreational activity in its mountain habitat, as it grows at popular recreational sites near Crested Butte.
