Cushion Buckwheat
Eriogonum ovalifolium · Polygonaceae
- Form
- Perennial
- Height
- 0.1–0.4 ft
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Water
- Very Low
- Blooms
- May, Jun, Jul
- Habitat
- Sagebrush Scrub · Subalpine
🌿 California native
Quick facts
- Habitat: Open Sagebrush Scrub, fell-fields, and high dry slopes
- Form / size: Tiny cushion perennial, only a few inches tall
- Sun: Full sun · Water: Very low
- Blooms: Late spring–summer · Pollinator value: Moderate
Description
A small, tight, mound-forming buckwheat that stays close to the ground in dense cushions. In flower it produces neat little heads above the mat, giving high dry country an unexpectedly refined look.
Wildlife & pollinators
Supports small pollinators and adds diversity to harsh open sites.
Habitat & range
Open, windy, often cold sites from sage-steppe into high dry mountain ground of the eastern Sierra and Great Basin.
In the garden
Well suited to troughs, alpine beds, and dry rock gardens if drainage is excellent and competition is minimal.
Propagation
From seed in gritty, lean soil.
Where to see it near you
- iNaturalist — observed across California (map)
- Found along the higher, drier reaches of the Eastern Sierra corridor, including around Lone Pine and Bridgeport.
