Seaside Buckwheat

Eriogonum latifolium is found along the immediate coast of southwest Oregon (Curry County) and western California (Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma counties). The species is rather variable as to size and aspect, these depending to a considerable degree on exposure to on-shore winds. The flowering stems are rarely glabrous, but plants with this expression are always intermixed with plants having tomentose to floccose stems. The brilliantly white-lanate, spreading shrubs become rather globose in shape under cultivation, and as a result make an attractive addition to the garden, especially as the flowers wither through various shades of pink to rose. The species should be used much more than at present in places where cool summer temperatures, good moisture, and sandy soils are available.

A decoction consisting of the roots, leaves, and stems of Eriogonum latifolium was taken by various Native American people along the California coast for colds and coughs (B. R. Bocek 1984; D. E. Moerman 1986). V. K. Chestnut (1902) reported that the native people of Mendocino County, California, used a decoction of the roots for stomach pain, “female complaints,” and sore eyes. The species is the food plant for the bramble hairstreak butterfly (Callophrys viridis), Mormon metalmark (Apodemia mormo), western square-dotted blue (Euphilotes comstocki comstocki), and the federally endangered Smith's dotted-blue (Euphilotes enoptes smithi).

Subshrubs or herbs, often scapose, much-branched and matted, 2-7 × 5-20 dm, usually tomentose to floccose, rarely glabrous. Stems spreading to erect, with persistent leaf bases, up to 4 height of plant; caudex stems matted; aerial flowering stems often scapelike, erect to spreading or decumbent, usually stout, solid, not fistulose, 2-6 dm, usually tomentose to floccose, rarely glabrous.  Leaves cauline; petiole 2-6(-10) cm, tomentose; blade oblong to ovate, (1.5-)2.5-5 × 1.5-4 cm, white-lanate to tawny-tomentose on both surfaces, or tomentose to floccose or glabrous and green adaxially, margins plane, occasionally crisped. Inflorescences capitate to umbellate or cymose, 3-40 × 2-20 cm; branches usually tomentose to floccose, rarely glabrous; bracts usually 3, leaflike, oblong to ovate, and 5-20 × 5-15 mm proximally, scalelike, triangular, and 2-5 mm distally. Peduncles absent. Involucres (3-)5-20 per cluster, turbinate, 3.5-5(-6) × 2-4 mm, tomentose or glabrous; teeth 5-6, erect, 0.3-0.6 mm. Flowers 3-3.5 mm; perianth white to pink or rose, glabrous; tepals connate proximal 4, monomorphic, obovate; stamens exserted, 3-6 mm; filaments pilose proximally. Achenes brown, 3.5-4 mm, glabrous. 2n = 40.

Calif., Oreg.

Flowering year-round.

Sandy coastal flats, slopes, bluffs, and mesas, coastal scrub and grassland communities; 0-80(-200)m.

Eriogonum latifolium has a bioregional distribution that extends from the Central Coast of California through the Northern California Coast and Oregon and southern Washington coastal areas. It is a common inhabitant of coastal bluffs and coastal terrace scrub at elevations typically not exceeding 150 meters.

With a common name of Seaside buckwheat, this perennial attains a height of 10 to 70 centimeters with a spread of up to 40 cm. Leaves are both basal and cauline on lower stem, and are oblong to ovate in shape; the leaves are generally white-tomentose, especially below, with leaf margins frequently wavy. Inflorescences are head to umbel-like.i Involucres are generally tomentose. The smooth flowers are white to red, glabrous; fruits are slso smooth and measure three to four millimeters in cross section.

Eriogonum latifolium is a species of wild buckwheat known by the common names seaside buckwheat and coast buckwheat. This plant is native to the coastline of the western United States from Washington to central California, where it is a common resident of coastal bluffs and scrub.