Eriogonum giganteum

Eriogonum giganteum grows to 4 feet tall x 5 feet wide with attractive wooly, gray, oval leaves. It is the largest of the Buckwheats. It's also one of the most popular nectar sources for many butterflies, especially the California Blues & Hairstreaks. The profuse clusters of small white flowers start blooming in April and continue until Fall, when the flowers age to a rusty color. St. Catherine's Lace requires no Summer water once established & tolerates clay, though it thrives best in well-drained soil. Endemic to California, limited to Santa Catalina Island Provides nectar and pollen for both bees and butterflies. No Historical Uses found. Found in dry slopes and bluffs. Communitites located in Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub Between 0 and 1476 feet.

This branching shrub to 10' tall, is commonly broader than wide and forms a thick trunk with rough, shredding brown bark. The 3" evergreen leaves are thick and leathery and are covered with soft white hairs. Lace-like clusters of white to pink flowers bloom from April to October, then turn rust-brown with age. Adaptable shrub well-suited to coastal gardens. Deadhead in late fall to prevent breakage from winter rains. Hardy to about 20F. Santa Catalina and San Clemente Islands.

Eriogonums, or wild buckwheats, are a North American genus in the family Polygonaceae. The buckwheat grown as a crop is Polygonum fagopyrum (syn. Fagopyrum esculentum ), which is in a different genus of the same family; its seeds are ground to make a flour. The wild buckwheats are valued horticulturally both for foliage and flowers. They are mostly native to the western United States, and California alone has at least 100 kinds. The plants are not true herbs, but are weakly woody. In size, they range from tiny clumps only an inch high up to 6-foot bushes. Their flowers are small, but are massed in heads atop the flower-stalks and may be quite showy in aggregate. The usual flower colors are in the white-to-pink range or else yellow. Many species have leaves covered with white wool, which can give them considerable appeal as garden subjects. Eriogonum giganteum, known as St. Catherine’s Lace, is the largest species of all, and it is native to Santa Barbara Island off the coast of southern California. It is one of the species with wooly white leaves, and it has white flowers in summer which turn a rusty reddish color as they age. Like many of the California wild buckwheats, it thrives in Mediterranean gardens without needing summer irrigation.

The largest of all the “Buckwheats,” Eriogonum giganteum is EASY, very DROUGHT TOLERANT & tolerates hot, arid regions as well as coastal salt spray. It’s also one of the most popular nectar sources for many butterflies, especially the California Blues & Hairstreaks, quite a few of which are suffering from dwindling habitats. A very nice looking California native, Eriogonum giganteum is freely branching & grows to 4’ tall x 5’ wide with attractive wooly, gray, oval leaves. The longest blooming of all “Buckwheats,” it starts in April with large clusters of tiny, white flowers & keeps its bloom till Fall, when the flowers age to a rusty color. “St. Catherine’s Lace” requires no Summer water once established & tolerates clay, though it thrives best in well-drained soil. Native to Santa Catalina Island.