Goose Lake Wild Buckwheat, Strict Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. anserinum (Synonyms: Eriogonum anserinum, Eriogonum flavissimum, Eriogonum ovalifolium ssp. flavissimum, Eriogonum proliferum ssp. anserinum, Eriogonum strictum ssp. anserinum, Eriogonum strictum ssp. proliferum var. anserinum, Eriogonum strictum var. flavissimum)

Strict buckwheat is a mat forming subshrub to 60 cm tall. The woody stems are prostrate to ascending. The flower stems are leafless above the basal leaves, although a pair of tiny bracts may be found at the point where the stem branches into the inflorescence. The leaves are mostly basal, with the blades oval to ovate in shape tapering abruptly to long, thin petioles which are 1-4 times longer than the blade.. The leaves range from 5-25 mm long and the lower blade surface is gray-woolly, the upper surface being gray to green, either woolly to sparsely haired.

The inflorescence is open and two to three branched, subtended by 2 linear bracts. The involucres are tubular and bell-shaped and range from 3-5 mm long. Five short, erect triangular teeth are found at the distal end of the involucral tube. The flowers are typically white, creamy, or occasionally yellow as in the variety anserinum shown above. The individual flowers range from 3-4 mm long and lack hairs on their outer surfaces.

variety anserinum : Involucres tomentose. If glabrous, the involucres are congested. Leaves grayish on both surfaces. Flowers yellow. Found along the east base of the Cascade Mts from Chelan County, Washington south to south-central and southeastern Oregon, northeastern California and Nevada.

variety glabrum : Involucres congested and mostly glabrous. Leaves grayish on both surfaces. Flowers white or cream. Found from Yakima, west Grant, and Douglas Counties in Washington.

variety proliferum : Involucres floccose to tomentose and congested. Flowers white or cream Leaves grayish on both surfaces. Found across the range of the species but less common within the range of the above varieties.

variety strictum : Involucres solitary and glabrous. Open inflorescence. Leaf blades greenish above, elliptic to ovate-elliptic inshape, and 1-2 cm long. Petioles 2-4 longer than blade. Flowers white, cream, light yellow or pink. Found in the Blue Mts. and Wallowa Mts. of southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon and west-central Idaho.

A widespread species, found from north-central Washington east to Idaho and western Montana, south to Nevada, then west to the east slopes of the Sierra of northern California and Cascades of the Pacific Northwest.

Eriogonum strictum var. anserinum from the cliffs of Diamond Head, Wenatchee N.F., July 5, 1996.

Goose Lake wild buckwheat as seen along Reecer Creek Road (FS Road 35) near paved recreational (winter) pullouts about one mile downhill from the Wenatchee National Forest boundary..........July 8, 2012.

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Goose Lake wild buckwheat blooming (left and center) along the South Loop Road at the Rooster Comb, Steens Mountain..........July 9, 2014. The photo at right shows Goose Lake wild buckwheat blooming along the Steins Pillar Trail #837, Ochoco National Forest........June 26, 2017..

Strict buckwheat as seen atop Pine Mountain (uphill from the observatory buildings), Deschutes National Forest.........July 12, 2017.

Strict buckwheat as seen along the Rimrock Springs Trail #850, Crooked River National Grasslands.........June 24, 2017.

Strict buckwheat (var. anserinum) as seen at left at Picture Rock Pass in central Lake County, Oregon.........July 12, 1998. The photo at right shows the basal mat of leaves of strict buckwheat (var. anserinum) atop Light Peak, Fremont-Winema National Forest......June 29, 2019.