Eriogonum ovalifolium
Cushion buckwheat
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Polygonaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Eriogonum ovalifolium (Cushion buckwheat) is a native California subshrub in the Polygonaceae family.
Cushion buckwheat is a California native perennial found in alpine and subalpine regions at elevations of 500 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces white to yellow, and occasionally rose, red, or purple flowers in dense head-like clusters around 3 to 5 millimeters wide. Growing as a low-spreading mat 0.5 to 4 meters in diameter, it forms compact cushions with sparse to dense tomentose stems. Its basal leaves are oval to rounded, 0.2 to 6 centimeters long and 0.2 to 1.5 centimeters wide, typically covered in a dense woolly tomentum. The delicate perennial forms tight, low-growing clusters with distinctive clustered flower heads that range from cream to deep rose in color.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 0 sympatric species; geographically isolated
Habitat and range
California counties: Mono, Inyo, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Shasta, Modoc, Fresno, Tuolumne, Nevada, Plumas, Alpine, Lassen, Mariposa
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 ovalifolium native to California?
Yes. Eriogonum ovalifolium is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Eriogonum ovalifolium grow?
Eriogonum ovalifolium occurs in Mono, Inyo, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Shasta, Modoc, Fresno, Tuolumne and other counties.
What plant family does Eriogonum ovalifolium belong to?
Eriogonum ovalifolium is in the Polygonaceae family, genus Eriogonum.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Eriogonum ovalifolium var. caelestinum — Heavenly wild buckwheat
- Eriogonum ovalifolium var. depressum — Depressed wild buckwheat
- Eriogonum ovalifolium var. eximium — Brown-margined buckwheat
- Eriogonum ovalifolium var. monarchense — Monarch buckwheat
- Eriogonum ovalifolium var. nivale — Sierran cushion wild buckwheat
- Eriogonum ovalifolium var. ovalifolium — Cushion wild 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.