Cushion Buckwheat, Dwarf Cushion Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum ovalifolium var. depressum

Cushion buckwheat, Eriogonum ovalifolium var. depressum as seen from the upper South Loop Road about one mile below the East Rim Viewpoint, Steen's Mountain, Harney County, Oregon.......August 31, 2011 Note the greenish cast to the upper leaf surfaces, a characteristic that helps identify this variety from the similar var. nivale, which has densely gray-white on both leaf surfaces.

Cushion buckwheat is a low growing cushion plant 40 cm wide with leafless scapes up to 20 cm tall.The numerous grayish leaves have long petioles 1-3 times longer than the blades which range from spatulate to elliptic or oblanceolate in shape and 5-20 mm long and 3-15 mm wide. The herbage of the leaves varies from tomentose and nearly white on both surfaces to less tomentose and greener on the upper blade surface.

The inflorescence is typically a single spherical cluster atop the stem. The flowers are usually white, but occasionally yellow, often tinged with pink or purple. The involucres are cylindric to narrowly bell-shaped. They range from 3-5 mm long with 5 lanceolate teeth from 0.5-1.5 mm long. The flower parts are 3-4 mm long and glabrous.

Many plants of cushion buckwheat have characteristics similar to those of strict buckwheat, which is closely related.

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. depressum : Low-growing mat plants subalpine to alpine. Leaves often greenish, especially on the upper surface. Leaf blade elliptic, oblong or spatulate.

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. nivale : Low-growing mat plants subalpine to alpine. Leaves whitish or silvery on both surfaces, the blades often round.

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. purpureum (E. orthocaulon or E. celsum) : Taller plants found from the plains and deserts to moderate mountain altitudes. Flowers often white, cream or purplish with the perianth 4-6 mm long. Leaf blades either more than two times longer than wide or longer than 1.5 cm long. Leaves 3-6 cm long, the blades obovate in shape and 5-20 mm long.

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. ovalifolium : Taller plants found from the plains and deserts to moderate mountain altitudes. Flowers yellowish, the perianth from 4-6 mm long. Leaf blades rarely over twice as long as wide, the blades oval to rhombic and 10-60 mm long.

Cushion buckwheat as seen at the head of Kiger Gorge, Steens Mountain, Harney County, Oregon.........August 31, 2011.

Both photos above are of cushion buckwheat, Eriogonum ovalifolium var. depressum from the top of the Steen's Mt in southeastern Oregon........August 3, 1995.

Cushion buckwheat may be found interspersed with sagebrush from foothills to mountain ridges.

Cushion buckwheat can be found from southern British Columbia along the east side of the Cascades to southern California, east to the east slopes of the Rocky Mts..

Oval-leaf buckwheat is a nice buckwheat for the rock garden. Due to it's low stature, it would best be placed in an area of good drainage at the front of the garden. My one attempt at this wildflower was successful for several years until we had 10 inches of rain in a week, which killed it. I would recommend covering it during the wettest parts of the winter.

Oval-leaf buckwheat (var. depressum) as seen along the South Loop Road about one and one-quarter mile downhill to the west from the East Rim Viewpoint, Steens Mountain.........July 9, 2014.

Oval-leaf buckwheat blooming at the head of Kiger Gorge (left) and at the East Rim Viewpoint, Steens Mountain..........July 11, 2014.

The photo above shows the leaves of cushion buckwheat (var. depressum) as seen at the East Rim Viewpoint on the Steens Mt., southeastern Oregon..........July 15, 2000. Note the greenish tinge to the upper blade. The blades of the similar E. ovalifolium var. nivale are rounder and both surfaces are grayish.

Cushion Buckwheat, Dwarf Cushion Wild Buckwheat, Oval-leaf Buckwheat

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. depressum