California Buckwheat

California Buckwheat plants.

Here are some of the native buckwheats, there are a number of other perennial buckwheats and a whole lot of annual buckwheats not included. Native Buckwheats work in a native garden as babies breath does in a floral arrangement. They are some of the most popular nectar sources for butterflies and great nectaries for many of the insect predators. Blue and hairstreak butterflies especially like buckwheats and many of these species suffer from dwindling habitat. Buckwheat flowers seem to last forever, turning a chocolate color in the fall. They are very drought tolerant and can tolerate many arid environments as well as coastal salt spray. (some coastal species).
We commonly plant buckwheats with sages and Woolly Blue Curls. Also they work great with boulders, are stunning next to brickwork. They often create the look that people think they want when they plant grasses. Grasses generally look bad for most of the year. Buckwheats look good for most of the year and have a similar texture or wild look that grasses are planted for.

A trail through coastal sage scrub. Plants include Lupinus chamisonis, Coyote Bush, Cliff Buckwheat, Deerweed, Sticky Monkey flower, and Giant Rye. - grid24_12

A walk through Coastal Buckwheat, Eriogonum parvifolium, Cliff Buckwheat .

Eriogonum arborescens, Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat next to Salvia clevelandii - grid24_12

Eriogonum arborescens, Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat has little pink flower cluster that turn chocolate in winter. It forms a tidy bush with erect foliage and sprawling branches. It can tolerate seaside conditions as well as the hot and dry climate of the interior. Santa Cruz island buckwheat is very drought tolerant. This plant is very popular with hairstreak and blue butterflies.

A short video about Eriogonum arborescens, Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat

Ashley Leaf Buckwheat, Eriogonum cinereum in the ground at the Santa Margarita nursery. - grid24_12

Eriogonum cinereum, Ashly Leaf Buckwheat is a coastal buckwheat with gray foliage. It can tolerate seaside conditions.

Eriogonum compositum var. lancifolium (arrowleaf buckwheat) - grid24_12

Eriogonum compositum, Northern Buckwheat is a little perennial with green foliage and butter yellow flowers.

Eriogonum covilleanum, Coville's buckwheat is an annual. - grid24_12

Eriogonum covilleanum, Coville's buckwheat is an annual buckwheat we collected on one of our Biological surveys in Paso Robles.

Eriogonum crocatum. Conejo Buckwheat - grid24_12

Eriogonum crocatum, Saffron Buckwheat is a fuzzy gray perennial with yellow flowers. Rather touchy.

Long-stem Buckwheat makes amazing dried flower bouquets. - grid24_12

Eriogonum elongatum, Longstem Buckwheat has long slender gray flower stalks with small delicate pink flowers. It is very drought tolerant. In mass they are like a shimmering sea of life.

California Buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum foliolosum on a hillside above the nursery. - grid24_12

Eriogonum fasciculatum foliolosum, California Buckwheat is very drought tolerant. The buds are pinkish and turn white when they open. They cluster in tight little balls on long stalks and turn a chocolate brown in the fall. It has green foliage.
Coppers blues and hair streak butterflies use it for nectar.

Eriogonum fasciculatum foliolosum, California Buckwheat grows in the chaparral in very dry hot conditions where many little animals and birds use it for cover.

Eriogonum fasciculatum polifolium, Interior buckwheat - grid24_12

Eriogonum fasciculatum polifolium, Interior California Buckwheat is similar to regular California buckwheat but it is more drought tolerant and has grayer foliage. In the photo here it is mixed with Salvia pachyphylla and other desert species and is quite happy.

A short video of Eriogonum fasciculatum polifolium, Interior California Buckwheat.

What a perfect mound of insect pleasure. This Giant Buckwheat is 6 foot wide and four foot tall. Eriogonum giganteum is fast and big. - grid24_12

Eriogonum giganteum, St. Catherine's Lace is California's largest buckwheat, in flower at least. It has huge flower clusters often more than a foot wide. It has large gray foliage and grows about three foot tall and three foot high. Although it is at home in coastal conditions it also does fine in California's hot dry interior valleys. It is very drought tolerant.

A small movie about Eriogonum giganteum, Giant Buckwheat

Eriogonum roseum; Wand Buckwheat - grid24_12

Eriogonum gracile, Wild Buckwheat is a reddish delicate annual.

Rosy or Red Buckwheat, Eriogonum grande rubescens, used on the edge of a parking lot in San Luis Obispo. - grid24_12

Eriogonum grande rubescens, Red Buckwheat is found on the islands. It can tolerate coastal conditions. However, it also does well in the interior of California only needing part shade to survive the hot dry summers. It has nice round leaves and very pink flowers. It looks great in a rock wall. It is smaller and more delicate than many of the other buckwheat, only growing about a foot tall.

Eriogonum heermannii, Heerman Buckwheat with it's reddish white flowers. - grid24_12

Eriogonum heermannii, Heermanns Buckwheat is a 2-3 ft. buckwheat that lives on serpentine based soils.

Eriogonum inflatum (desert trumpet) is a buckwheat with a swollen stem. - grid24_12

Eriogonum inflatum, Desert Trumpet is a rather weird plant from the desert. The part that you'll notice is the stem, not the flower or leaves.

A short video about Eriogonum inflatum, Desert Trumpet.

On one of the mountains in the Big Bear area - grid24_12

Eriogonum kennedyi, Kennedy's buckwheat is a flat little perennial that has delicate pick flowers. You'll find it high up in the mountains like on top of Mt. Pinos.

A short video about Eriogonum kennedyi, Kennedy's buckwheat.

Eriogonum latifolium, Coast Buckwheat in flower. - grid24_12

Eriogonum latifolium, Coast Buckwheat This coastal buckwheat has tall open flower stalks and gray basal leaves. It is similar to Eriogonum grande rubescens but opener and grayer with white flowers.

Eriogonum nudum pubiflorum, Naked buckwheat in its native habitat. - grid24_12

Eriogonium nudum var. pubiflorum, Naked Buckwheat can grow very large from a little plant base. Naked Buckwheat can't compete with weeds, so you'll find it outside of the fence line along road cuts throughout much of California.

Eriogonum ovalifolium Cushion Buckwheat grows into a little mat. - grid24_12

Eriogonum ovalifolium, Cushion Buckwheat is mostly here to show the diversity of buckwheats. It grows about 2 cm(inch) across and 1-2 cm high, and it's a perennial.

Eriogonum parvifolium, Cliff Buckwheat overlooking Shell Beach. - grid24_12

Eriogonum parvifolium, Cliff Buckwheat is bushy coastal buckwheat that does well under seaside conditions. Cliff Buckwheat has pinkish flowers and gray foliage. It also does well in clay and in hotter areas.

Eriogonum gracile var. gracile
Slender Buckwheat is an annual buckwheat that is native all over the Santa Margarita property. - grid24_12

Eriogonum roseum, Wand buckwheat is an annual buckwheat that is native all over the Santa margarita property.

Sulphur-flower Buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum var. chlorothamnus - grid24_12

Eriogonum umbellatum chlorothamnus, Shrub Sulphur Buckwheat Shrub Sulphur Buckwheat is similar to Eriogonum umbellatum But it grows 1 to 3 ft tall. It also does well at high elevations. It has grayer foliage than the other two subspecies here. It like good drainage.

Salvia spathacea, Hummingbird Sage, and Eriogonum umbellatum polyanthum, Shasta Buckwheat under a Desert Willow - grid24_12

Buckwheat plants are beautiful!

Eriogonum umbellatum, Sulfur Flower makes a small ground cover at the Santa Margarita Nursery - grid24_12

Eriogonum umbellatum, Sulfur Flower is very low growing, only a few inches tall, and very yellow. It grows at high elevations, over 4000 ft, and likes good drainage. It does well in the Santa Margarita nursery garden in decomposed granite and 110 deg. summers.

Sulfur Buckwheat in a garden in Big Bear at 6800 feet. At this elevation this buckwheat looked right at home, but also looks great at both nurseries. - grid24_12

Eriogonum umbellatum polyanthum, Shasta Buckwheat is a very tidy, low growing buckwheat, with bright yellow sulfur colored flowers. It likes good drainage and can't tolerate clay. It is fairly hardy and can tolerate our hot dry summers.

A short video about Eriogonum umbellatum polyanthum, Shasta Buckwheat (or Sulfur Buckwheat). and Salvia spathacea, Hummingbird Sage

Wright's Buckwheat growing between granite at 7500 ft in the Sierras. It also grows fine in our garden as a little ground cover. - grid24_12

Eriogonum wrightii subscaposum, Wright's Buckwheat is a tufted little mound of gray that has a fireworks of pinkish white flowers in summer.

Cliff Buckwheat in coastal sage scrub south of Los Osos. Often you can find a trail a few miles from your home full of native plants. - grid24_12

Mother nature is wonderful. Why people do not want to copy it is beyond me. Cliff buckwheat above Los Osos.

California Buckwheat as a ground cover. No extra water. Native plants are beautiful. What would a non-native plant look like with no water in midsummer? - grid24_12

Vast areas of California used to have Buckwheat covering the ground.