Flower profile

Alpine golden buckwheat

Eriogonum flavum

Alpine golden buckwheat (Eriogonum flavum) is a low shrub in the Polygonaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Alpine golden buckwheat is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.

10states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

1,529U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Montana, North Dakota

Quick look

Eriogonum flavum is a species of wild buckwheat.
From Wikipedia's article Eriogonum flavum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Polygonaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 10 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Montana and North Dakota. ^NatureServe
In Montana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 677 research-grade sightings of it in Montana, ranking #61 among the 128 flowers on our Montana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 79 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #83 among the 116 flowers on our North Dakota list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (238 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Montana	Native	June–August	677
North Dakota	Native	few records (21)	79

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Montana: No list Montana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Montana ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Montana.
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records alpine golden buckwheat in 10 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming.

Montana counties with USDA records: Beaverhead, Big Horn, Blaine, Carter, Cascade, Chouteau, Custer, Daniels, Dawson, Fallon, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Garfield, Glacier, Golden Valley, Granite, Hill, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lewis and Clark, Liberty, Lincoln, Madison, McCone, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Musselshell, Park, Petroleum, Phillips, Pondera, Powder River, Powell, Prairie, Ravalli, Richland, Roosevelt, Rosebud, Sheridan, Silver Bow, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Toole, Valley, Wheatland, Wibaux, Yellowstone.

North Dakota counties with USDA records: Adams, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Divide, Dunn, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Oliver, Rolette, Slope, Stark, Ward, Williams.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 142 counties across 10 states; the most are in Montana (50), North Dakota (22), Wyoming (18).

Other Eriogonum on Bloomipedia (9): California buckwheat, Sulfur buckwheat, Desert trumpet, Cushion buckwheat, Parsnipflower buckwheat, Redroot buckwheat, James' buckwheat, Annual buckwheat, Few-flower buckwheat.

More from the Polygonaceae family (21 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): American jumpseed, Low smartweed, Japanese knotweed, Mile-a-minute weed, Water smartweed, American bistort, Spotted lady's thumb, Devil's spineflower.

More Montana flowers

Fireweed

Chamaenerion angustifolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in MT: July–August

Common beargrass

Xerophyllum tenax

Native

🌼 Blooms in MT: June–July

Glacier lily

Erythronium grandiflorum

Native

🌼 Blooms in MT: May–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ERFL4.
iNaturalist, Eriogonum flavum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Eriogonum flavum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Montana: Montana noxious weed list (Admin. R. Mont. 4.5.206–4.5.210).
North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Eriogonum flavum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: John Brew via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.