Buckwheat (12)
The flowers of the Buckwheat genus, Eriogonum, are tiny and grow in round or long clusters. The leaves are usually basal and the stems often woody. See Wild Buckwheat, Colorado Buckwheat and Sorrel Buckwheat for pink flowers and Sulphur Flowers for yellow varieties.
At left is a close up of Annual Buckwheat to show the tiny flowers typical of this genus.
Creamy Buckwheat
Eriogonum umbellatum var. majus (E. subalpinum)
Family:Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Subalpine Buckwheat
Photo taken on:
June 27, 2004
Location:
Snodgrass, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to alpine
Habitat:
Dry meadows
Grows in a tight mat of leaves with leafless stems. At lower elevations, the plants can be 12" high. 
The flowers at left growing at 11,000 feet are just a few inches high.
Flowers change from creamy white to pink, orange, then red as they age.
Flora of North America reference.
James' Buckwheat
Eriogonum jamesii
Family:
Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Antelope Sage
Photo taken on:
August 9, 2012
Location:
Rio Chama Recreation Area, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to montane
Habitat:
Dry open areas
Grows to 12" with woody, branched stems. Leaves are spatula shaped and grow to 4" long in a basal rosette with long stalks.
Flora of North America reference.
Cushion Buckwheat
Eriogonum ovalifolium
Family:Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Silver Plant
Photo taken on:
September 5,2011
Location:
Capulin National Monument, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry, rocky areas
Grows to 5" high in mats with small, oval, gray-green leaves. Flowers are white tinged with pink as they age.
Flora of North America reference.
Spearleaf Buckwheat
Eriogonum lonchophyllum
Family: Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
July 4, 2017
Location:
Dillon Pinnacles, CO
Life Zones:
Foothills to montane
Habitat:
Openings, roadsides
Grows to 2 feet tall and wide with erect, lance-shaped basal leaves. Clusters of tiny flowers grow at the top of many branched stems.
Flora of North America reference.
Slender Buckwheat
Eriogonum microthecum
Family:Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Simpson's Buckwheat
Photo taken on:
August 9, 2012
Location:
Rio Chama Recreation Area, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat:
Sandy woodlands
Grows in a delicate airy pattern to 12" with sparse, narrow leaves. The tiny flowers are white with a pink stripe.
Flora of North America reference.
Annual Buckwheat
Eriogonum annuum
Family: Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Umbrella Plant
Photo taken on:
July 27, 2012
Location:
Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat:
Dry, sandy areas, roadsides
Grows over 3ft tall in an open airy pattern with silvery, fuzzy stems and leaves. Leaves are mainly on the lower part of the stem. Flowers are tiny and can be pinkish.
Flora of North America reference.
Pretty Buckwheat
Eriogonum bicolor
Family:Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
May 10, 2010
Location:
Little Wildhorse Canyon, UT
Life Zones:
Foothills
Habitat:
Dry rocky areas, canyons
Low growing in a dense mat of lance-shaped grayish leaves. Tiny flowers are white tinged with red.
Flora of North America reference.
Slenderleaf Buckwheat
Eriogonum leptophyllum
Family:
Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
August 19, 2013
Location:
FS RD 151, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat: Sagebrush, pinyon-juniper
communities
Grows in a rounded form to 2 feet with narrow, green leaves on the stems. The edges of the leaves are tightly curled back. Flowers grow in compact clusters with long stamens protruding.
Flora of North America reference.
Spreading Buckwheat
Eriogonum effusum
Family:
Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Prairie Baby's Breath
Photo taken on:
September 18, 2014
Location:
Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat: Dry areas, hillsides
Grows to 12" in a bushy form with spreading wiry reddish stems. Flowers are tiny and grow in flat-topped clusters.
Flora of North America reference.
Crispleaf Buckwheat
Eriogonum corymbosum var. velutinum
Family:
Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Velvety Wild Buckwheat, Buckwheat Brush
Photo taken on:
September 18, 2014
Location:
Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat: Sandy, gravelly areas, hillsides
A perennial shrub growing to 3 feet tall and 5 feet wide with densely, whitish, woolly leaves. Leaves are oblong to oval-shaped with crinkly, "crisped", edges and feel velvety. Tiny white to cream flowers grow in rounded clusters and age to pink or red..
Flora of North America reference.
Fremont's Rimrock Buckwheat
Eriogonum corymbosum var. orbiculatum
Family:
Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Rimrock Wild Buckwheat, Orbicular-leaf
Wild Buckwheat
Photo taken on:
October 7, 2021
Location:
Arches NP, UT
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat: Rocky areas, washes, slopes
A perennial shrub growing in a rounded shape from a few inches to over 4 feet tall and wide. Leaves are oval-shaped to round. Tiny, bright white flowers grow in compact rounded clusters turning reddish with age.
Flora of North America reference.
Nodding Buckwheat
Eriogonum cernuum
Family:
Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
August 4, 2015
Location:
Echo Amphitheatre, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat: Sandy soils, grasslands, woodlands
Grows 10" to 20" high with delicate, airy branches. Leaves are roundish and low on the stem, not basal. The tiny flowers hang from slender stems and are white to pinkish turning red with age.
Flora of North America reference.
Buckwheat blossoms are an excellent source of nectar for pollinators and blooming can continue well into the autumn.