Skip to main content

Sulphur-flower Buckwheat | Eriogonum umbellatum

Yellow wildflowers with green leaves growing in a natural, grassy area.
A shrub of sulphur-flower buckwheat. Photo credit: Steve Matson.
May contain: plant, potted plant, bud, flower, sprout, leaf, vegetation, herbal, herbs, tree, jar, planter, pottery, and vase
A close up of an orange sulphur-flower buckwheat flower.
May contain: herbal, herbs, plant, vegetation, soil, leaf, grass, potted plant, and flower
The leaves of sulphur-flower buckwheat.
May contain: bud, flower, plant, sprout, apiaceae, and leaf
A close up of a yellow sulphur-flower buckwheat flower.
Yellow wildflowers with green leaves growing in a natural, grassy area.
May contain: plant, potted plant, bud, flower, sprout, leaf, vegetation, herbal, herbs, tree, jar, planter, pottery, and vase
May contain: herbal, herbs, plant, vegetation, soil, leaf, grass, potted plant, and flower
May contain: bud, flower, plant, sprout, apiaceae, and leaf

This low-growing plant is extremely variable and has an astounding 13 varieties in Oregon alone. Most commonly, it forms mats of triangular leaves and yellow to orange umbel flowers from an ascending stalk. This species is known to be highly attractive to many insect species and bloomsthroughout late summer.

 

Plant Details

HabitatsUpland Prairie and Savanna
Habitat NotesDoes best in full sun, dry slopes 
PhenologyPerennial; flowering May-September
Mature HeightUp to 1 foot
Shade ToleranceFull sun
Soil ToleranceDry rocky well-drained soil
Special UsesThe seeds for this species serve as a food source for birds; nectar source for bees and butterflies; a common host plant for many caterpillar species