Crispleaf Buckwheat, Las Vegas wild buckwheat
Eriogonum corymbosum
Family: Polygonaceae
What it is like
Eriogonum corymbosum is an evergreen Shrub growing to 0.3 m (1ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Sandy to gravelly or clayey flats, washes, slopes, outcrops, and cliffs, saltbush, blackbrush, and sagebrush communities, pinyon-juniper and montane conifer woodlands; 1200-2700 metres.
Western N. America - Nebraska and Kansas to New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Leaves and stems - cooked. The leaves can be boiled, mixed with water and cornmeal and baked into a bread. The stems are boiled, pressed into cakes then dried and eaten with salt.
Medicine
Rating: 1
A decoction of the leaves, taken three times a day, is a remedy for headache. The var glutinosum was most probably used. This variety was also used as a treatment for TB, or at least to treat coughs.
Other
Rating:
Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife
How it is grown
Requires a loose lean gritty well-drained soil in a very sunny position. Succeeds in dry soils. Tolerates exposed positions. Requires some protection from winter wet. A very variable species, it has been divided into a number of distinct varieties. Established plants resent root disturbance, though small plants can be moved successfully. A slow growing plant. A good bee plant.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a sandy compost in a greenhouse. Sow stored seed in early spring in a warm greenhouse. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in early spring. This has to be done with care because the plant resents root disturbance. Try to obtain divisions from around the edges of the plants without digging up the whole clump. Tease the divisions out with as much root on them as possible and pot them up. Grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse until they are rooting well and plant them out in the summer. Cuttings of greenwood with a heel in the summer. Cuttings of almost ripe shoots with a heel, July/August in a frame.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 3-7
Growth: Slow
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist