Eriogonum compositum - yellow flowered form

This unusual form of the native arrowleaf buckwheat features soft yellow flowers, as opposed to the more come cream-colored ones. In spring, flattened clusters of blossoms emerge on stout stems held at least a foot above rounded mounds of large, fuzzy, gray-green leaves, reaching up to 2 ft wide. Found in gravelly soils in seasonally dry areas which bake in summer but freeze in the winter. Plant in full sun and water infrequently once plants are established. A surprisingly adaptable species which does well in local gardens. As with other buckwheats, butterflies and bees love the flowers. Numerous butterfly species use this plant as a larval host. Native from Sonoma and Napa Counties north to Washington and east to Idaho.