Eriogonum luteolum
Golden buckwheat
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Polygonaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Eriogonum luteolum (Golden buckwheat) is a native California herb in the Polygonaceae family.
Golden buckwheat is a California native annual found in dry, open grasslands and oak woodlands at low elevations. Flowering from June to September, this delicate plant produces white to rose or pale yellow flowers in small, clustered inflorescences up to 40 centimeters wide. Growing 20 to 60 centimeters tall with slender, straight stems that are typically glabrous, it forms an open, branching structure. Its leaves are primarily basal, with blades 5 to 50 millimeters long, often tomentose on the undersurface and varying from hairy to smooth on the upper surface. The tiny flowers, measuring 1 to 2.5 millimeters long, are arranged in neat involucres at the tips of delicate branchlets.
Habitat and range
California counties: Mendocino, Trinity, Sonoma, Glenn, Shasta, Lake, Plumas, San Mateo, Humboldt, Butte, Napa, Tehama, Tuolumne, Contra Costa, Siskiyou, Solano, Alameda, Marin, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Colusa, Lassen, San Joaquin, Mariposa, El Dorado, Nevada, Santa Cruz
How to tell it apart
vs Adenostoma: Eriogonum has flowers in cup-like involucres; Adenostoma has tiny white rose-family flowers in spikes.; vs Salvia: Eriogonum has six similar perianth parts; Salvia has two-lipped tubular flowers.; vs Fagopyrum: Eriogonum has flowers in involucred clusters; Fagopyrum has loose branching sprays without involucres.; vs Artemisia: Eriogonum has cup-surrounded flower clusters; Artemisia has tiny inconspicuous heads in drooping sprays.; vs Chorizanthe: Eriogonum has multiple flowers per involucre; Chorizanthe has one flower per involucre with spiny teeth.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eriogonum luteolum native to California?
Yes. Eriogonum luteolum is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Eriogonum luteolum grow?
Eriogonum luteolum occurs in Mendocino, Trinity, Sonoma, Glenn, Shasta, Lake, Plumas, San Mateo and other counties.
What plant family does Eriogonum luteolum belong to?
Eriogonum luteolum is in the Polygonaceae family, genus Eriogonum.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Eriogonum luteolum var. caninum — Tiburon buckwheat
- Eriogonum luteolum var. luteolum — Golden-carpet wild buckwheat
- Eriogonum luteolum var. pedunculatum — Mokelumne hill wild buckwheat
- Eriogonum luteolum var. saltuarium — Jack's wild buckwheat
- Eriogonum maculatum — Spotted wild buckwheat
- Eriogonum marifolium — Marum leaved buckwheat
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.