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This page last updated on 03/29/2018
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Description: The Las Vegas buckwheat (Eriogonum corymbosum var. nilesii) is an open to somewhat spreading woody perennial shrub up to 4 feet (ft) high with a mounding shape 5-feet across and has numerous clusters of yellow to pale yellow flowers on its stalks. The subspecies is distinguished from closely related taxa by leaves that are densely hairy on one or both surfaces, at least twice as long as wide, with dense hairs spread along the stem. It flowers August to November. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed a comprehensive status review, known as a 12-month
finding on 23 September, 2014, and found that the best scientific and commercial data available indicates that listing the Las Vegas Buckwheat as threatened or endangered is not warranted.
Distribution and Habitat: Because the taxonomy of the Las Vegas buckwheat was only recently resolved in 2006, there is very little information regarding the historic range and distribution of the variety. Las Vegas buckwheat is historically known from three locations in Clark County: Las Vegas Valley, Gold Butte, and Muddy Mountains. In the Las Vegas Valley, a major portion of its remaining habitat is located in the upper Las Vegas Wash. A large portion of this area is now protected by the recently established Tule Springs Fossil National Monument.