Sulphur Buckwheat
Eriogonum umbellatum
A low evergreen mat of spoon-shaped leaves topped by sulfur-yellow flower umbels that age to rust. An exceptional pollinator and butterfly-host plant for hot, dry, rocky sites. Like other wild buckwheats, the leaves and seed have documented food and tea use among Southwestern tribes.
- Family
- Polygonaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 0.5–1 ft
- Spacing
- 1–3 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- June, July, August, September
- Bloom colors
- white, yellow
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, butterflies, larval host
- Landscape uses
- border, container
- Native states
- AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY
Related native plants
More Eriogonum species
- California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
- Desert Trumpet (Eriogonum inflatum)
- Redroot Buckwheat (Eriogonum racemosum)
- St. Catherine's Lace (Eriogonum giganteum)
- Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat (Eriogonum arborescens)
- Red-flowered Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande)