General: Smooth Heermann's Buckwheat (Eriogonum heermannii var. argense), also called "Brain Plant," is a rounded shrub that is fairly common on rocky limestone outcrops. The branches are stiff, forked into 3s, and green. There are several varieties, and this one has smooth, round, hairless stems.

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

Family: Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)