General: Heermann's Buckwheat (Eriogonum heermannii), sometimes called "brain plant," is a rounded shrub that is fairly common on rocky limestone outcrops. The branches are dense, stiff, and green when growing, otherwise they are stiff and brown. The shape of the plant often looks like a mammalian brain. There are two varieties of Heermann's Buckwheat around Las Vegas: Eriogonum heermannii var. sulcatum with angular stems, and Eriogonum heermannii var. argense with smooth, hairless stems.

Heermann's Buckwheat (Eriogonum heermannii) is a common component of vegetation communities in dry, well-drained gravelly and rocky areas on bajadas into the lower mountains in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zone.

Family: Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)

Link to Eriogonum heermannii var. sulcatum

Link to Eriogonum heermannii var. argense