Eriogonum ovalifolium var. nivale
Polygonaceae
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
- Flower Form: 4-6 petals, flowers in clusters
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Height: 1/2–2 inches
- Habitat: Alpine, Dry Rocky Sites, Subalpine
- Found In: Crater Lake NP, Mt. Rainier NP, N Cascades NP, Olympic NP, Steens, Wallowas
- Native: Yes
