Parsnip-flowered buckwheat (Eriogonum heracleoides) is a perennial herb that often grows in clumps in open areas.  Branches diverge from a woody base.  Leaves are usually greyish and woolly in a basal whorl.    Bracts may be present on stems below the inflorescence.  In an umbel shape, many small white-yellow emerge in clusters.   Some will appear reddish – rose as they mature.

It flowers mid-spring to early summer and can be found in rocky areas, in dry grasslands, and in ponderosa pine glades.   It attracts many pollinators.

After flowering seeds with achenes form and the stems wither in late summer. It is a welcome sight to come across parsnipflower buckwheat in spring each year.