Abstract
Ten Utah species of perennial wild buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.) produced seeds (achenes) that were either nondormant or that lost dormancy during moist chilling. While there were species-specific patterns, seeds collected from low elevations generally had shorter chilling requirements (0 to 8 wk) and faster germination rates in chilling (<11 wk to 50%) than those from high elevations (12 to 24 wk and >15 wk to 50%). The absence of a fraction not responsive to chilling suggests that these species may not form persistent seed banks. Wild buckwheats establish readily from late fall seedings and are also easily greenhouse-propagated from seeds. They deserve wider use as drought-tolerant ornamentals.
