Plant
St. Catherine's-lace
Eriogonum giganteumAlso known as Santa Catalina Island Buckwheat, Giant Buckwheat
St. Catherine's-lace is a robust evergreen shrub native to California's Channel Islands, easily recognized by its rounded mound of velvety, ash-grey foliage. In summer, mature plants produce immense, flat-topped umbrella clusters of tiny cream-to-pink blossoms that spread like delicate lace across the canopy. These flower heads dry into warm rusty-red persistent seed heads that provide essential nectar and winter forage for island insects and birds.
Channel IslandsDrought-TolerantPollinator Magnet
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preySunlight, Water, Soil Nutrients
Predators
- Mule Deer
- Island Scrub-Jay
- Western Tussock Moth
ThreatsFeral herbivore grazing, non-native plant competition, and erosion
HabitatsCoastal sage scrub, rocky bluffs, and dry chaparral slopes
Life span20–50 years
Classification
- OrderCaryophyllales
- FamilyPolygonaceae
- GenusEriogonum
- SpeciesEriogonum giganteum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- What to notice
- Look for a sprawling woody shrub with broad, oval, woolly grey leaves and vast lacy flower umbels up to 45 cm wide.
- Support conservation
- Remain on established trails and avoid breaking the brittle, woody branches when photographing wild plants.
Responsible observation
- Observe blooms: Watch the massive flower heads during midsummer to spot diverse native pollinators.
- Avoid trampling: Stay on designated island trails to protect fragile bluff root systems from erosion.
Image unavailableNeighbor Pollinator 
Close Relative (c) Dick Culbert, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) peganum, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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