Polygonaceae

Eriogonum ovalifolium var. nivale

Cushion Buckwheat

Mats with short flower stems. Tiny round leaves entire, coated with dense white-woolly hairs, in tight round clusters forming crowded mats. Flower stalk less than 2 in. tall holds rounded cluster of white to cream flowers. Grows in alpine sand or gravel. Similar var. depressum usually a dense mat of greener foliage, with bright pink to white flowers, found mostly on Steens Mountain at high elevations. Varieties nivale and depressum freely hybridize.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: Mid Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 1/2--2 inches
• Habitat: Alpine, Subalpine, Dry Rocky Sites
• Found In: Crater Lake Np, Wallowas, Olympic Np, Mt. Rainier Np, Steens, N Cascades Np
• Native: Yes