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| ## snow buckwheat {#snow-buckwheat .Title-Header}                     |
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| *Eriogonum niveum* Dougl. ex Benth.                                   |
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| Plant Symbol = ERNI2                                                  |
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## *Contributed By: USDA NRCS Pullman Plant Materials Center, Pullman, Washington*

# Alternate Names

canyon heather

# Uses

*Erosion control/reclamation/landscape:* Snow buckwheat is a very
successful pioneer species (Tiedemann, et al 1997). It tolerates
extremely droughty soils and is a common occupant of dry, rocky southern
exposures. It is an excellent candidate for stabilizing skeletal soils
exposed in road cuts, and mine spoils that lack soil development.

Snow buckwheat grows to 0.5 m (20 in.) in height in most areas but may
be as much as 1m tall and 1m wide on better sites. The canopy, while
quite short, can effectively protect the soil from erosive winds.

Snow buckwheat is a very useful xeriscaping plant, because it requires
very little moisture and does not become weedy. It can be shaped by
careful pruning to produce a more formal looking round-full plant. The
bloom period is very long and the white flowers take on a pink blush in
late fall.

*Grazing/rangeland/wildlife*: Snow buckwheat has limited domestic
livestock grazing value. Sheep will utilize the tips of the flower heads
and ignore the rest

of the plant. (USDA Forest Service Range Plant Handbook).

Mule deer in north-central Washington are reported to make heavy use of
snow buckwheat in the winter and early spring months (Burrell 1982).
Bighorn sheep also make heavy use of snow buckwheat, and it decreases in
response to bighorn sheep grazing (Wikeem and Pitt 1991). Small birds
and mammals use the canopy for cover.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.6881944444444446in" height="1.98125in"}

Several species of bees and butterfies utilize snow buckwheat as a
foodstuff, including the endangered Mormon Metalmark butterfly
(*Apodemia mormo*) (Royal British Columbia Museum 1995).

*Ethnobotany:* A tea brewed from the roots of snow buckwheat and a
related species, Indian tobacco (*E. heracleoides*) were used by Native
Americans as a diarrhea remedy. Boiled roots and stems were used to
treat a variety of ailments including cuts, colds, and blood poisoning
(Parish et al. 1996). It has been suggested that the Columbia Basin
buckwheats were also used to develop dyes by the Native Americans
(Sackschewsky and Downs 2001).

# Status

This is a native species. Consult the PLANTS Web site and your State
Department of Natural Resources for this plant's current status, such as
state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

# Description

*General*: Buckwheat Family (Polygonaceae). Snow buckwheat is a
deciduous, low growing, evergreen halfshrub.

The crown gives rise to numerous short-woody stems. Leaves attached to
the main stems are short and generally oblong. The bottoms of the leaves
are gray and very tomentose while the tops are only slightly hairy. The
flowering stems are tomentose and as much as 200mm in length. Leaves on
the flowering stems are short and narrow. The flower heads may be as
long as 200mm and generally ascending. The flowers are white or light
pink and turn brown at seed maturity in the fall. The seeds are small
and shaped like urns. There are approximately 943,000 seeds/kg (427,000
seeds/pound).

# Distribution

Hitchcock et al. (1964) described the distribution of snow buckwheat as
the east slope of the Cascade Mountains from British Columbia, south to
central Oregon, east to west-central Idaho. For current distribution of
this species and its relatives, consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site.

# Adaptation 

Cold Hardiness Zone: 5a-7a.

Mean Annual Precipitation: 150-460mm (6-18 in.)

Elevation: 150-1500m (500-4900 ft.)

MLRA: 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 23, 24, and 25

Soil: Well-drained sands to clays

Snow buckwheat is common in big sage (*Artemisia tridentata*), antelope
bitterbrush (*Purshia tridentata*), and open Ponderosa pine (*Pinus
ponderosa*) areas. It also occurs in the canyon grasslands of the Snake
and Columbia River systems.

It is primarily found in full sun but will grow in partial shade such as
open Ponderosa pine hillsides.

Snow buckwheat is common on steep slopes and rocky scabland soils that
support little competing vegetation. Its taproot enables it to acquire
moisture percolating through the rock cracks. It occurs much less
frequently on deep, moist soils.

Species often associated with snow buckwheat include the following: big
sagebrush (*Artemisia tridentata* - probably *wyomingensis, vasciana,*
and *tridentata* subspecies), antelope bitterbrush (*Purshia
tridentata*), Ponderosa pine (*Pinus ponderosa*), western juniper
(*Juniperus occidentalis*), bluebunch wheatgrass (*Pseudoroegneria
spicata*), sand dropseed (*Sporobolus airoides*), Snake River wheatgrass
(*Elymus wawawaiensis*), Sandberg bluegrass (*Poa secunda*), Indian
ricegrass (*Achnatherum hymenoides*), and needle-and-thread (*Nassella
comata*).

# Establishment

*Seeding*: Snow buckwheat should be seeded in late fall (Tiedemann and
Driver 1983). Standard reclamation drills and broadcast seeders are
capable of handling snow buckwheat seed, however, ensure the seed is
kept shallow (max. 6mm deep). Germination in the wild occurs during
cool-wet conditions thus allowing the seedlings to develop while
moisture is readily available and evaporative rates are low.

*Transplanting*: Rooted transplants are easily outplanted. The soil
should be at least 75% of field capacity when planted. Once fully
established, snow buckwheat is long-lived and very persistent.

# 

# Management

Snow buckwheat is a low maintenance plant once established. Cheatgrass
and other winter annuals should be controlled the first year to allow
good establishment. Observations have shown that snow buckwheat
withstands severe defoliation if the woody stems and crowns are not
damaged.

Digging up plants is not advised because it is difficult to extract a
large enough portion of the root to support the plant. Also, removing
plants in the wild severely disturbs the site and leaves it especially
prone to weed invasion.

Its tolerance to fire is unknown, however, most *Eriogonum* species
which remain green year round are severely damaged by fire.

# Environmental Concerns 

Snow buckwheat is long-lived, spreading via seed in the wild. It is not
considered to be a \"weedy\" or invasive species, but can spread into
adjoining vegetative communities under ideal climatic and environmental
conditions.

# Propagation 

Snow buckwheat seed should be grown in areas where it is native or areas
that have long growing seasons. Weeds can be controlled by between-row
cultivation. No herbicides are labeled for snow buckwheat seed fields.

Seed is fully ripe when the flowers turn brown. Shattering can be severe
at full maturity. Mechanical harvest is possible providing that the
cutting bar is set high enough to not damage the crown. Observations
have indicated that cutting back the woody stems reduces plant life and
reduces seed production the following year.

Seed shelf life can be as short at 12 months if not properly stored.
Seed is best stored in cool-dry conditions.

Plants are easy to produce for out-planting. Seed should be planted in
mid-winter and allow for at least 10 weeks growth before hardening.
Avoid potting media that does not drain well, and do not over-water.

# Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

\'Umatilla\' snow buckwheat was selected by the Pullman Plant Materials
Center and released in 1991. It was developed from a native collection
made in Umatilla County, Oregon. It is primarily recommended for use in
rangeland restoration plantings, upland wildlife habitat improvement
plantings in semi-arid environments, and soil stabilization plantings on
sites that will not support dense populations of conventional
conservation species. It has performed very well on mine spoils in
central Washington (Zamora and Leier 1993). It is also well suited for
xeriscape plantings, particularly where a native halfshrub is desired.

Limited quantities of Foundation seed are available to growers from the
Pullman Plant Materials Center.

# 

# References

Burrell, G.C. 1982. Winter diets of mule deer in relation to bitterbrush
abundance. J. Range Manage. 36:508-510.

Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist, M. Ownbey, and J.W. Thompson 1964.
Vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington
Press, Seattle, Washington.

Parish, R., Coupe, R. and D. Lloyd 1996. Plants of southern interior
British Columbia. Lone Pine Press, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Royal British Columbia Museum 1995.
\><http://rbcm1.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/end_species/species/mmetalm.html>\<

Sackschewsky, M.R. and J.L. Downs 2001. Vascular plants of the Handford
site. U.S. Dept. of Energy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Rep.
13688. Richland, Washington.

Tiedemann, A.R. and C.H. Driver. 1983. Snow eriogonum; a native
halfshrub to regetate winter game ranges. Reclam and Reveg Res. 2:31-39.

Tiedemann, A.R., S.M. Lambert, J.R. Carlson, C.J. Perry, N.L. Shaw, B.L.
Welch, and C.H. Driver 1997. 'Umatilla' snow buckwheat for rangeland
restoration in the interior Pacific Northwest. Rangelands. 19:22-25.

Wikeem, B.M. and M.D. Pitt 1991. Grazing effects and range trend
assessment on California bighorn sheep range. J. Range Manage.
44:466-470.

USDA, Forest Service 1937. Range Plant Handbook.

USDA NRCS 2003. *The PLANTS database*. Version: 030106.
\<http://plants.usda.gov\>. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.

Zamora, B.A. and J.W. Leier 1993. The potential of snowy buckwheat
(*Eriogonum niveum*) for revegetation of xeric mine spoil sites in the
Pacific Northwest. *IN*: Abstracts 8^th^ Wildland Shrub Symp. Arid Land
Restoration, Las Vegas, Nevada.

# Prepared By

## Mark Stannard and Wayne Crowder

USDA, NRCS, Plant Materials Center, Pullman, Washington

# 

# Species Coordinator

## Mark Stannard

USDA, NRCS, Plant Materials Center, Pullman, Washington

Edited 06jan03 dgo; 30jan03 jsp; 09jun03 ahv; 06jun06 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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