Carried by 33 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Coast Buckwheat (Eriogonum latifolium) is a shrub-like perennial in the Buckwheat family (Polygonaceae). It has oval, wooly white-green leaves with small, pink and white flowers in round clusters at the ends of long, wooly stems. The flowers fade to an attractive copper color in the fall.
Also known as Seaside Buckwheat, it naturally grows on coastal bluffs and slopes, where it receives full sun and all of its water from fog and rainfall.
In the garden, plant Coast Buckwheat on rocky slopes, in crevices, or sunny rock walls. When planted in its natural range, it will not need additional summer water after its first year. Provide part shade and some supplemental water when planted away from the immediate coast.
Coast Buckwheat supports many pollinators, and is an important food source for butterflies and moths. Allowing the flower stalks to remain through winter provides seeds for hungry birds.
Perennial herb
2 ft Tall
2 - 3 ft Wide
Mounding
Moderate
Summer Semi-deciduous
Cream, Pink, White
Summer, Fall
Bank stabilization, Containers, Deer resistant, Groundcover
Full Sun, Partial Shade
Low
Max 1x / month once established, Never irrigate once established
Easy
Tolerates cold to 20° F
Fast, Medium
Tolerates clay but prefers fast draining rocky or sandy soil.
Soil PH: 5.5 - 7.0
Leave the seed heads for the birds; can be deadheaded in winter or early spring.
For propagating by seed: No treatment.
4, 5, 14, 15*, 16*, 17*, 22*, 23*, 24*
Bluffs and slopes on the north coast
Coastal Strand, Northern Coastal Scrub
Sand Verbena (Abronia spp.), Pt. Reyes Ceanothus (Ceanothus gloriosus), Twinberry (Lonicera involucrata), Lupine (Lupinus spp.), Bluff Lettuce (Dudleya farinosa), Coast Silktassel (Garrya elliptica), Yellow Stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium), and Dune Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pumila).
Butterflies and moths supported
11 confirmed and 31 likely
Mormon Metalmark
Apodemia mormo
Orange Tortrix Moth
Argyrotaenia franciscana
Bramble Hairstreak
Callophrys dumetorum
Coastal Green Hairstreak
Callophrys viridis