California Buckwheat
Hemill
‘Iipay Aa name: hemill
Common name: California buckwheat
Scientific name: Eriogonum fasciculatum
Bees and butterflies gather the nectar of the flowering California buckwheat. Rabbits, deer, lizards, small birds, and many other native animals, eat different parts of the plant.
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Kumeyaay People boiled leaves, stems, and roots to make a tea for head and stomach aches. Native Americans in other parts of California have eaten the leaves and seeds. California buckwheat honey is very popular.
California buckwheat, or hemill in ‘Iipay Aa, is a shrub that can grow to four feet tall and six feet wide. It has small, needle-like leaves. The small white to pinkish flowers grow in clusters during spring and summer. When the flowers dry in the fall, they are a rusty color. California buckwheat is drought tolerant and the leaves stay green all year round. The small leaves conserve water because of their size. The leaves also have tiny, white hairs that act as insulation and reduce water loss.
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