California Buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum

About California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) 73 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Known by the common name California buckwheat. This common shrub is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, where it grows on scrubby slopes and in chaparral and dry washes in a number of habitats. It is variable in appearance, forming a patchy, compact bramble or a spreading bush approaching two meters in height and three across. The leaves grow in clusters at nodes along the branches and are leathery, woolly on the undersides, and rolled under along the edges. Flowers appear in dense, frilly clusters which may be anywhere from a few millimeters to 15 centimeters wide. Each individual flower is pink and white and only a few millimeters across. This plant is particularly attractive to honey bees and is a good source of nectar over many months in drier areas.

There are four recognized varieties of California Buckwheat: 1. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum or Leafy California Buckwheat, a brighter green variety which grows primarily on the coast and western side of the coastal mountain ranges, and is often carried in nurseries, 2. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium, a gray variety which grows primarily in the desert regions and through the coastal foothills, and is sometimes available in nurseries, 3. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. fasciculatum, or Coastal California Buckwheat, which grows most closely to the coast, and 4. Eriogonum fasciculatum var. flavoviride, or Sonoran Desert California Buckwheat, which grows primarily in the Sonoran Desert and desert mountains.

California Buckwheats are tough and easy to grow, even in very dry conditions. Plant in a well draining sunny site. It shouldn't need supplemental water after established, but it will tolerate occasional summer water better than most extremely drought tolerant California natives. Form is variable, ranging from often open and upright in the foothills, to often dense and mounding closer to the coast. It produces profuse pink to white and cream-colored flowers as early as March that dry to a pretty red rust color as the soil dries. It sheds its dried flowers and a significant portion of its small blade-like leaves each dry season, and is an important plant for creating natural mulch. California Buckwheat is a keystone species for sagebrush scrub ecosystems, and a great choice for wildlife and butterfly gardens. Low growing forms of both Leafy Green Buckwheat and Interior California Buckwheat can be found in nurseries to use as spreading ground covers. Eriogonum fasciculatum 'Theodore Payne' can grow low as just 1 foot with a spread of up to 8 feet.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb, Shrub

Size

1 - 6.6 ft tall
3 ft wide

Form

Rounded, Mounding, Spreading

Growth Rate

Fast, Slow

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flower Color

Yellow, Cream, Pink, White

Flowering Season

Summer, Spring, Fall

Wildlife Supported

Bees, Butterflies
Bee gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 15 confirmed

, 36 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Acmon Blue Icaricia acmonIcaricia acmon

Mormon Metalmark Apodemia mormoApodemia mormo

Square-spotted Blue Euphilotes battoidesEuphilotes battoides

Bramble Hairstreak Callophrys dumetorumCallophrys dumetorum

Lupine Blue Icaricia lupiniIcaricia lupini

Bernardino Blue Euphilotes bernardinoEuphilotes bernardino

Wavy-Lined Emerald Synchlora aerataSynchlora aerata

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun

Moisture

Extremely Low, Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established, Never irrigate once established

Nurseries

Carried by 73

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Prefers loamy 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

Can handle hard pruning, taller varieties even into edged/hedged plantings.

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Natural Setting

Site Type

Dry slopes, often south facing as a common component of Coastal Sage Scrub. Inland it may be found in Valley Grassland. In high desert areas it occurs in Sagebrush Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland. It sometimes occurs in low desert areas as part of Creosote Bush Scrub

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 2.7" - 50.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 3.86", Coldest Month: 23.5" - 61.4", Hottest Month: 43.2" - 88.8", Humidity: 0.43" - 42.79", Elevation: 0" - 11630"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Eastern Mojave Buckwheat, Flattop Buckwheat, Yellow 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

California Buckwheat

Eriogonum fasciculatum

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California BuckwheatEriogonum fasciculatum

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California Buckwheat

Eriogonum fasciculatum