San Diego Reader

Buckwheat, a late-bloomer among native plants in our region, is showing off its small, inconspicuous clusters of cream-colored flowers this month. Several kinds of buckwheat, found in dry, sunny locations throughout San Diego County, are the source of the "wild buckwheat" honey sold locally. Near the coast look for flat-top buckwheat, common on south-facing slopes. Here it shares space with other low-growing shrubs of the sage-scrub plant community like black sage and California sagebrush.