Eriogonum jamesii is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum

Eriogonum is the scientific name for a genus of flowering plants, in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is found in North America and is known as wild buckwheat. This is a highly species-rich genus, and indications are that active speciation is continuing...

 known by the common name James' buckwheat and Antelope sage. It is native to southwestern North America, in: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.

In popular culture

It may also be called a Colita, such as in one of The Eagles' most famous songs, "Hotel California

Hotel California (song)

"Hotel California" is the title song from the Eagles' album of the same name and was released as a single in February 1977. It is one of the best-known songs of the album-oriented rock era. Writing credits for the song are shared by Don Felder, Don Henley and Glenn Frey...

", in the opening lines, depicted as an aroma while travelling a highway heading into California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Alternatively, syndicated columnist Cecil Adams

Cecil Adams

Cecil Adams is a name, possibly a pseudonym, designating the American author of The Straight Dope, a popular question and answer column published in The Chicago Reader since 1973. Ed Zotti is Adams' current editor....

 reports a different story:

This E-mail just in from Eagles management honcho Irving Azoff: "In response to your [recent] memo, in 1976, during the writing of the song 'Hotel California' by Messrs, Henley, and Frey, the word `colitas' was translated for them by their Mexican-American road manager as 'little buds.' You have obviously already done the necessary extrapolation. Thank you for your inquiry."

External links

• USDA Plants Profile
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System at the National Museum of Natural History
  National Museum of Natural History
  The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
  
  
• image at the National Biological Information Infrastructure
  National Biological Information Infrastructure
  The National Biological Information Infrastructure is a program coordinated by the United States Geological Survey's Biological Informatics Office within the USGS Biological Resources Discipline...
  
   image gallery
• description at the University of Maryland, College Park
  University of Maryland, College Park
  The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
  
  PlantSystematics.org
• images from Four Corners Wildflowers
• Flora of North America Profile
• Plants for a Future entry