Sulphur-Flower Buckwheat vs Water Arum - TreeTime.ca

Sulphur-Flower Buckwheat vs Water Arum

Eriogonum umbellatum

Calla palustris

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Sulphur-Flower Buckwheat
Water Arum

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.

Water Arum is a native perennial wetland plant known for its showy white oval sheaths (spathe) that surround a yellow-green, cylindrical flower spike (spadix). It has large, oblong, heart-shaped leaves on stems that rise above the water from shallow, spreading rhizomes. The blossoms are followed in late summer by tiny, pear-shaped fruits that ripen to bright red, adding ornamental interest to wet habitats.

Water Arum provides food for birds and small mammals that eat its berries, and its flowers attract pollinators. It can tolerate cold climates and forms colonies in shallow water and saturated soils. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, riparian planting, naturalisation, and habitat projects in wet and shaded environments.

Sulphur-Flower Buckwheat Quick Facts

Water Arum Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1b
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: upright to spreading, clump-forming
Growth form: colony-forming
Spreading: seeds - low
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low


Toxicity: toxic if ingested
Foliage: leathery
Fall colour: reddish bronze
Flowers: colour varies, typically white to yellow
Flowers: white sheath around and yellow spike
Bloom time: mid spring to mid summer
Bloom time: spring to summer
Berries: red, in clusters
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, PE
Other Names: sulphur buckwheat, sulphur flower, wild buckwheat
Other Names: bog arum, swamp lily, wild calla, wild dragon