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Flat-Top Buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum California buckwheat
Polygonaceae – Buckwheat family
Description Flat-top buckwheat is a compact, dense sub-shrub growing 2-3 feet wide by the same high. Its initial appearance is often larger since the plant is occasionally found in clump-forming colonies. The main stems are woody and around the plant’s circumference, they tend to prostrate themselves along the ground, where some varieties aggressively root at stem nodes. The leaves are bunched in crowded groupings along the stems and point upward. They are linear and are approximately ½-¾ of an inch long, greenish above and lighter underneath. The flowers are white to pink and form in dense flattened clusters at branchlet ends where they appear to hover over the body of the plant.
There are a number of varieties of Eriogonum fasciculatum that overlap in range and appear very similar to one another. For simplicity, the varieties here are described as a whole. Besides the Flat-top buckwheat types, which are uniform in growth, dense and bushy, there are the Skeletonweed morphologies (E. deflexum). They tend to be annuals, but not always, have basal rosettes of petioled leaves that are often kidney shaped. They tend to have 1 or several central, sometimes inflated, leafless or nearly so, vertical stalks on which spreading and tiny inflorescences are borne. Another biotype is that of Desert buckwheat or E. wrightii. These are bushy perennials similar to E. fasciculatum but they lack the stoutness of the latter. New growth tends to be non-uniform and weak-branched. The elliptical leaves are approximately a ½-inch long, downy, and are spread alternately along the stems; the flowers also form in clusters at branch ends.
Distribution Flat-top buckwheat can be found from Santa Barbara and Monterey Counties, California, east through southern Nevada and western Arizona. Look for the plant on bluffs and cliffs over looking the ocean in southern California, on disturbed soils, the edges of washes and occasionally on desert flats throughout the rest of its range. Overall, the genus contains 200+ species throughout the United Sates; they are particularly abundant across the west.
Chemistry Buckwheat family array of hydrolyzable and condensed tannins; other flavonoids
Medicinal Uses All Eriogonums can essentially be used the same way. The bushier perennials, because of their mass and subsequent collectability lend themselves more to therapeutic use. Flat-top buckwheat is a simple remedy for simple complaints. Its mild astringency lends itself well to several applications, these also being common to other plants that have similar constituent make-ups. When it is painful to urinate, and the lower urinary tract is raw and inflamed, possibly from urine pH changes or from the throes of a lower urinary tract infection, Flat-top buckwheat will cool and contract urinary tract tissues enough to diminish the pain and inflammation.
The leaf tea will check diarrhea, be it from dietary or stress reactions. Similarly, the plant has use in diminishing simple intestinal inflammation. Externally the crushed plant applied fresh or the strong infusion used topically is soothing to burns, weepy rashes, and other outbreaks that tend to be moist and red.
Indications Lower urinary tract pain and irritation Diarrhea with intestinal inflammation Skin inflammations (external)
Collection In the spring when new leaf growth is apparent, collect Flat-top buckwheat by pruning upper growth from the plant. After drying, garble the leaves and flower from the stems. Discard the stems.
Preparations and Dosage Herb infusion: 4-8 ounces 3 times daily
Cautions Due to the plant’s potential vasoconstriction of uterine lining, Flat-top buckwheat is not recommended during pregnancy. |