''Eriogonum niveum'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name snow buckwheat. It is native to the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

of North America, where it occurs in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Washington,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

.''Eriogonum niveum''.
Washington Burke Museum.''Eriogonum niveum''.
Flora of North America.''Eriogonum niveum''.
NatureServe. It flowers late in the summer.

Description

This wild buckwheat is quite variable in appearance. It has spreading stems that grow usually grow erect, but may be decumbent or prostrate along the ground. It forms a hairy mat generally up to tall and wide, but it can reach a height and width of one meter at times.''Eriogonum niveum''.
USDA NRCS Plant Guide. Most of the leaves are in a tuft on the woody base of the plant. They are up to 6 centimeters long and have a woolly texture. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a series of branching stems with sparse clumps of small white, pink, or reddish flowers. Eriogonum heracleoides 2

Native American groups had several medicinal uses for this plant. It was used as a remedy for colds and cuts.''Eriogonum niveum''.
University of Michigan Ethnobotany. The roots of this plant and ''

Eriogonum heracleoides ''Eriogonum heracleoides'' (common names; parsnipflower buckwheat, whorled buckwheat, and Wyeth buckwheat) is a plant of western North America that has many flowering clusters which are usually cream colored, or off-white. It can usually be found ...

'' were brewed into a tea which was taken to treat

diarrhea Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...

. This plant grows on grassy plains, sagebrush deserts, and

ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is t ...

forests mainly east of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

. It is a

pioneer species Pioneer species are resilient species that are the first to colonize barren environments, or to repopulate disrupted biodiverse steady-state ecosystems as part of ecological succession. Various kinds of events can create good conditions for pi ...

, taking hold in thin, dry soils where other plants have not yet established. Other plants in the habitat may include ''

Artemisia tridentata '' Artemisia tridentata'', commonly called big sagebrush,MacKay, Pam (2013), ''Mojave Desert Wildflowers'', 2nd ed., , p. 264. Great Basin sagebrush or simply sagebrush (one of several related species of this name), is an aromatic shrub from the ...

'', '' Purshia tridentata'', '' Juniperus occidentalis'', '' Pseudoroegneria spicata'', ''

Sporobolus airoides ''Sporobolus airoides'' is a species of grass known by the common name alkali sacaton. It is native to western North America, including the Western United States west of the Mississippi River, British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, and northern ...

'', '' Elymus wawawaiensis'', '' Poa secunda'', '' Achnatherum hymenoides'', and '' Nassella comata''. This plant can be cultivated. It can be planted in areas that have little soil, such as mine spoils. It can be used in

xeriscaping Xeriscaping is the process of Garden design, landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. It is promoted in regions that do not have accessible, plentiful, or reliable supplies of fresh water and has gained acce ...

. The

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

'Umatilla' is used for rangeland restoration and soil stabilization. In the wild this plant provides food for

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

and

bighorn sheep The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of Ovis, sheep native to North America. It is named for its large Horn (anatomy), horns. A pair of horns may weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates th ...

. It is also utilized by the rare Mormon metalmark butterfly.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5389418 niveum Flora of British Columbia Flora of Idaho Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) Plants used in traditional Native American medicine