About Eriogonum pyrolifolium Hook. ex A.E.Murray
This small woody perennial plant, Eriogonum pyrolifolium Hook. ex A.E.Murray, reaches a maximum height and width of around 20 centimeters when including its inflorescence. Its rounded or spade-shaped, woolly (sometimes hairless) leaves with stalks grow at the base of the plant. The species gets its name from the similarity of these leaves to the leaves of wintergreens of the genus Pyrola. The wool covering the leaves and leaf stalks sometimes develops a distinct orange color. Flower clusters grow on stalks that may grow upright or bend down to the ground. The small hairy flowers can be greenish-white, white, or pink. During certain stages of growth and flowering, this plant produces an odor similar to that of sweaty, unwashed socks. It most often grows in nearly barren, dry rocky soil in subalpine and alpine areas, including the extensive pumice and tephra slopes on Mount Rainier and other volcanoes in the Cascade Range.
