This is the California Buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum. California Buckwheat is an iconic and valuable part of the coastal sage scrub. California Buckwheat is considered a keystone species, boasting 260 native bee species and 105 native butterfly species that utilize it, according to Calscape. California Buckwheat is in the family Polygonaceae, the Buckwheat family, which means it is related to the buckwheat species that is widely eaten across the world, such as in Japanese soba noodles, Russian and Ukrainian grechka, and Korean memilmuk. Although the California variety is not explicitly edible, the roots and dried flower heads were used in medicinal remedies by the indigenous people of California (Ritter, California Plants).