Warriner Lytle Buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum 'Warriner Lytle'

About Warriner Lytle Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum 'Warriner Lytle') 34 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Warriner Lytle Buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum 'Warriner Lytle', is a low horticultural selection of the perennial soft woody shrub species Eriogonum fasciculatum (California Buckwheat). This tough and drought tolerant native cultivar combines the hardiness and habitat value of the species, with the garden versatility of its selected low-growing form. This dependable groundcover plant is adaptable and easy to grow.

Warriner Lytle Buckwheat can reach 1-2' high but is often more prostrate. Its arching branches can spread 4'-5' wide. Fine dark-green, needle-like green leaves are topped in the summer by globe shaped clusters of pinkish-white to cream flowers, that then age to a rusty red-brown in late summer or autumn. It adds floral color to the summer native garden, and is a major draw in butterfly, pollinator, and bird habitat gardens. This low buckwheat makes a good ground cover, or an accent plant beside patios and pathways for enjoying the blooms and many butterflies they attract. With its dense foliage coverage and deep roots this ground cover is good for erosion control, slope stabilization, suppressing weed germination, and dry hot slopes.

California Buckwheats are a favorite nectar source for many butterfly species, native leaf cutter bees, and honey bees. As the summer progresses into autumn the birds will flock to feed on the seeds. Warriner Lytle Buckwheat will tolerate almost any soil type, including clay when planted on slopes or raised mounds, and take summer's high heat. Once established it needs very little water, one can provide occasional deep watering or none. Eriogonum fasciculatum 'Warriner Lytle' was selected and introduced for gardens by the Theodore Payne Foundation in Los Angeles, who named it for one of their dedicated volunteers.

Thanks to Moosa Creek Nursery and the Theodore Payne Foundation for sharing information about this plant

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

1 - 2 ft tall
4 - 8 ft wide

Form

prostrate

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flower Color

Cream, White

Flowering Season

Summer

Wildlife Supported

Bees, Butterflies, Birds
Bee gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Extremely Low, Very Low, Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 34

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerates a wide variety of soils. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.5

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Bee Gardens, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Deer Resistant, Groundcovers

Companion Plants

Many companions including Brittlebush (Encelia species), Sagebrush (Artemisia species), Sage (Salvia species), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), Ceanothus species, Yucca species, Dudleya species, and cactus species

Maintenance

This buckwheat cultivar can benefit from an annual pruning in the late autumn or winter, dead-heading the dried flowers, and lightly heading back the foliage for denser and lower growth. One can try an occasional hard pruning in the late autumn to renew an older plant, or to substantially decrease its height or width, but it will not always recover.

Site Characteristics

Alternative Names

Common Names: Warriner Lytle California Buckwheat

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Warriner Lytle Buckwheat

Eriogonum fasciculatum 'Warriner Lytle'

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Warriner Lytle BuckwheatEriogonum fasciculatum 'Warriner Lytle'

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Warriner Lytle Buckwheat

Eriogonum fasciculatum 'Warriner Lytle'