Description

California buckwheat ranges from the southern SF Bay Area to Baja, Mexico, and the Southwest. There are several varieties, but the two most commonly grown are the coastal form, var. foliolosum, and the interior form, var. polifolium. The two forms largely overlap until California’s southeastern deserts where the polifolium variety becomes prevalent. It is a smaller plant than the more commonly planted foliolosum variety and is somewhat more upright in form. Also, the needle-like leaves are more gray in color. If planted in a sunny bed with well-draining soil, the interior California buckwheat will slowly grow into a compact rounded shrub, ideal as the foreground for other dry-loving plants. The generous spring bloom is the color of cream with a few pink highlights. The flowers fade to a rusty ocre, and provide abundant seed for birds if left in place.