Plant in full sun in sandy or even heavier clay soil with little to no irrigation. Hardy to 15 ° F. This dark form of the normally pink flowering variety, which we also grow and list as Eriogonum grande var. rubescens, is a dramatic looking plant and like the typical pink form, should prove to be both a great looking and durable buckwheat with pollen and seed that also attracts butterflies (Gray Hairstreak, Acmon Blue) and birds.

This plant is native to San Miguel, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa islands in the Santa Barbara Channel Islands chain. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'erion' meaning "wool" and 'gonu' meaning a "joint" or a "knee", which some interpret to be in reference to the hairy joints of some of the species of the genus. The specific epithet is from the Latin word 'grandis' meaning "large", "grand" or "showy", and in this case it was likely for the showy flowers. The varietal name means "becoming red, again in reference to the pinkish red flowers.

Our crop of this plant is seed grown from seeds collected by our outside salesman Matthew Roberts with the owner's permission off a garden plant in Manhattan Beach. The owner knew that this plant had originally been purchased from the Theodore Payne Foundation and we are told by them that they did once have a red seed strain that they grew. 

The information displayed on this page about Eriogonum grande var. rubescens 'Red Ranger' is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.