Whorled Buckwheat in the Landscape

Diane Jones, Draggin' Wing Farm, Water-thrifty Plants for Idaho

Scientfic Name:  Eriogonum heracleoides
Common Name:  Whorled Buckwheat, Wyeth Buckwheat, Parley Desert Buckwheat, Parsnipflower Buckwheat

Description:  Slim leathery leaves on a low, woody mat give rise to numerous whorls of brilliant white, cream or yellow bon-bons in early summer.

Native Habitat:  Foothills to subalpine, open rocky slopes, from about 4,000 up to 8,000' throughout the western Intermountain region.

Cultural Requirement

Soil:  Well-drained, poor or even rocky soils to ordinary garden soil.

Moisture Tolerance:  Very xeric.

Sun/Shade/Preference:  Full sun.

Transplanting:  Transplants well from containers.

Propagation:  Seed.

Maintenance (pruning, fertilization, deadheading, division, irrigation, etc):  No maintenance necessary. May remove dead flower stalks if desired.

Insect, disease, or other problems:  None of concern.

Landscape Value

Use in the Landscape:  Attractive evergreen groundcover for tough, dry spots. Use in low borders or xeric rock gardens.

Foliage:  Narrow, dark green, leathery leaves with wooly undersides, persisting throughout the year.

Flower:  Whorls of cream-colored pom-pom shaped flower heads often fading orange-red with age.

Timing:  Mid-summer.

Color:  White, cream to pale yellow.

Form:  Short woody base with evergreen leaves; short to medium flower stalks above.

Texture:  Leathery.

Ultimate Size:  20" x 20"

Rate of Growth:  Moderate to slow.

Suggested Plant Partners:  Sagebrush, Rabbitbrush, Woolly Sunflower.

Availability:  Available at specialty nurseries.

Cultivars:  None.

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