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Dog-tongue Buckwheat

Eriogonum tomentosum

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, usually in white sand, primarily in the fall-line Sandhills and on riverine dunes in the middle and upper Coastal Plain. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

57
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
1 foot 4 inches–3 feet 11 inches
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
July to September
Fruiting season
September to November

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 9 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Coastal dunes and beaches

Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Eriogonum

  • Callophrys augustinusThe Brown Elfin
  • Calothysanis amaturariaCross-Lined Wave
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
12BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Eriogonum

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
6BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Eriogonum

  • Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Phasianus colchicusRing-necked Pheasant
  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

1AntsRecorded seed interactions
  • Pogonomyrmex badius

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Polygonaceae
Flower color
White or pink
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Dog tongue Buckwheat

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources