Sulphur-Flower Buckwheat vs Yellow Mountain Avens - TreeTime.ca

Sulphur-Flower Buckwheat vs Yellow Mountain Avens

Eriogonum umbellatum

Dryas drummondii

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Sulphur-Flower Buckwheat
Yellow Mountain Avens

Sulphur-Flower Buckwheat is a native perennial wildflower known for its dense clusters of cream to yellow flowers. The long-lasting blooms persist from late spring into summer, providing an extended nectar source for a variety of pollinators. The flower buds are often red-tinted before opening. As the blooms age, they shift to orange or red, adding seasonal interest and making them well-suited to dried flower arrangements. Its seeds are also eaten by birds, adding to its ecological value.

Depending on climate and conditions, Sulphur-Flower Buckwheat may be evergreen to semi-evergreen, or its foliage may turn red during fall. Its deep roots and spreading growth stabilize rocky or sandy soils, making it useful for erosion control. Exceptionally hardy once established, it requires little care and thrives in challenging environments, making it an excellent choice for pollinator gardens, naturalization, and ecological restoration projects.

Yellow Mountain Avens is a native perennial wildflower with bright yellow buttercup-like blooms. The nectar-rich flowers attract a variety of pollinators, including bees and butterflies. By thriving at higher elevations, it helps sustain pollinator populations and provides one of the earliest sources of nectar and pollen in alpine habitats.

As a nitrogen-fixing plant, Yellow Mountain Avens enriches soil fertility and supports the growth of surrounding vegetation. It forms dense, spreading mats of evergreen foliage that act as a groundcover and help stabilize soil. Often among the first species to establish in disturbed alpine sites such as glacial outwash or landslides, it is well-suited for alpine revegetation, erosion control, naturalization, and ecological restoration projects in harsh, rocky environments.

Sulphur-Flower Buckwheat Quick Facts

Yellow Mountain Avens Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1b
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright to spreading, clump-forming
Growth form: mat-forming, creeping
Spreading: seeds - low
Spreading: stolons - medium, seeds - low


Foliage: leathery
Foliage: evergreen, leathery
Fall colour: reddish bronze
Flowers: colour varies, typically white to yellow
Flowers: yellow, buttercup-like, nodding
Bloom time: mid spring to mid summer
Bloom time: spring to summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON, QC, NB, NL, YT, NT
Other Names: sulphur buckwheat, sulphur flower, wild buckwheat
Other Names: drummonds dryad, drummonds mountain avens, yellow dryad