Eryngium
Encyclopedia
Eryngium is a genus
in the family Apiaceae
of about 230 species of annuals
and perennials
with hairless and usually spiny leaves
, and dome-shaped umbel
s of flower
s resembling those of thistle
s. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution
, with the centre of diversity in South America
. Some species are native to rocky and coast
al areas, but the majority are grassland
plants. Common names include Sea-holly and Eryngo, the former typically being applied to coastal species, and the latter to grassland species.
The flower
s are clustered in tight umbel
s, with a whorl of spiny basal bract
s.
Eryngium maritimum is a perennial plant native to Europe
and often found on sea shores. It produces a basal rosette, from which grow flowering spikes with stiffly spiny foliage and stems. These can reach around 50 cm in height. It is often grown in gardens for its metallic bluish flowers and upper foliage. The basal foliage is a very conspicuous pale grey or silvery green, from which the stiff, lightly branching flowering stems rise up.
Related species are grown as ornamental plant
s in gardens, and these may also be called "sea holly", though the majority are not associated with littoral
(sea-shore) habitats. Among the best known of these is Eryngium bourgatii (illustrated), a perennial with stunning green, prickly foliage marbled with silver. The flowers, which appear in summer, are cobalt blue, and appear very attractive to bees. The plant is 30 to 60 cm in height. Other commonly grown ornamental species include Eryngium alpinum, E. variifolium, E. tripartitum, E. bromeliifolium, and the biennial E. giganteum.
substitute. The roots, such as of Eryngium yuccifolium and Eryngium maritimum, are potent inflammation modulators and may have other properties. Eryngium foetidum
is a culinary herb used widely in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
in the family Apiaceae
Apiaceae
The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...
of about 230 species of annuals
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
and perennials
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
with hairless and usually spiny leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
, and dome-shaped umbel
Umbel
An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs....
s of flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s resembling those of thistle
Thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
s. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution
Cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...
, with the centre of diversity in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Some species are native to rocky and coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
al areas, but the majority are grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
plants. Common names include Sea-holly and Eryngo, the former typically being applied to coastal species, and the latter to grassland species.
The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are clustered in tight umbel
Umbel
An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs....
s, with a whorl of spiny basal bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s.
Eryngium maritimum is a perennial plant native to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and often found on sea shores. It produces a basal rosette, from which grow flowering spikes with stiffly spiny foliage and stems. These can reach around 50 cm in height. It is often grown in gardens for its metallic bluish flowers and upper foliage. The basal foliage is a very conspicuous pale grey or silvery green, from which the stiff, lightly branching flowering stems rise up.
Related species are grown as ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
s in gardens, and these may also be called "sea holly", though the majority are not associated with littoral
Littoral
The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to...
(sea-shore) habitats. Among the best known of these is Eryngium bourgatii (illustrated), a perennial with stunning green, prickly foliage marbled with silver. The flowers, which appear in summer, are cobalt blue, and appear very attractive to bees. The plant is 30 to 60 cm in height. Other commonly grown ornamental species include Eryngium alpinum, E. variifolium, E. tripartitum, E. bromeliifolium, and the biennial E. giganteum.
Uses
Many species of Eryngium have a history of use. The roots have been used as vegetables or for sweetmeats. Young shoots and leaves are sometimes used as an asparagusAsparagus
Asparagus officinalis is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennialplant species in the genus Asparagus. It was once classified in the lily family, like its Allium cousins, onions and garlic, but the Liliaceae have been split and the onion-like plants are now in the family Amaryllidaceae and...
substitute. The roots, such as of Eryngium yuccifolium and Eryngium maritimum, are potent inflammation modulators and may have other properties. Eryngium foetidum
Eryngium foetidum
Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial and annual herb in the family Apiaceae. It is native to Mexico and South America but is cultivated worldwide...
is a culinary herb used widely in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Diversity
Species include:- Eryngium agavifolium
- Eryngium alpinumEryngium alpinumEryngium alpinum is a herbaceous perennial plant of Eryngium genus, belonging to the Apiaceae family.-Etymology:...
- Eryngium amethystinumEryngium amethystinumEryngium amethystinum is a Mediterranean herb. Its stem is 30 to 50 cm long and is light blue to purple in colour. It flowers in the summer. The plant lives in the eastern Mediterranean and prefers dry places and soils that are rich in calcium....
- Eryngium aquaticum
- Eryngium aristulatumEryngium aristulatumEryngium aristulatum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names California eryngo and Jepson's button celery. This plant is native to California and Baja California where it grows in wet places, such as vernal pools and flooded meadows...
- Eryngium armatumEryngium armatumEryngium armatum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name coastal eryngo. It is endemic to the coastline of the northern half of California, where it along beaches and coastal bluffs. This is a low perennial herb growing patches of thick green to yellow-green...
- Eryngium articulatumEryngium articulatumEryngium articulatum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names beethistle and jointed coyote thistle. This plant is native to the northwestern United States from California to Idaho, where it is a plant of marshes and riverbanks...
- Eryngium billardieri
- Eryngium bourgatii
- Eryngium bromelifolium
- Eryngium campestreEryngium campestreEryngium campestre is a species of Eryngium, which is used medicinally. A member of the Apiaceae family, Eryngo is a hairless, thorny perennial. The leaves are tough and stiff, whitish-green...
- Eryngium carlinae
- Eryngium castrenseEryngium castrenseEryngium castrense is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Great Valley eryngo, or Great Valley button celery. This plant is endemic to California, where it grows in wet areas such as vernal pools and ponds in the central part of the state...
- Eryngium constanceiEryngium constanceiEryngium constancei is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Loch Lomond button celery, or Loch Lomond coyote thistle. It is endemic to California, where it is known from only three occurrences north of the San Francisco Bay Area. One of the populations is at...
- Eryngium corniculatum
- Eryngium creticum
- Eryngium cuneifoliumEryngium cuneifoliumEryngium cuneifolium is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names wedgeleaf eryngo, wedge-leaved button-snakeroot, and simply snakeroot. It is endemic to the state of Florida in the United States where it is known only from Highlands County...
- Eryngium dichotomum
- Eryngium depressum
- Eryngium ebracteatum
- Eryngium eburneum
- Eryngium elegans
- Eryngium foetidumEryngium foetidumEryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial and annual herb in the family Apiaceae. It is native to Mexico and South America but is cultivated worldwide...
- Eryngium giganteumEryngium giganteumEryngium giganteum, a plant species in the Apiaceae family.- Plant description :Plant height 90–100 cm. Silver-blue flowers 3 to 5 cm open in August and September, it dies after flowering and should be grown as a biennial...
- Eryngium glaciale
- Eryngium humile
- Eryngium inaccessum
- Eryngium leavenworthiiEryngium leavenworthiiEryngium leavenworthii is an annual plant known commonly as Leavenworth's eryngo. It is native to the central United States. It reaches heights of up to 3 feet that inhabits dry rocky prairies, roadside fields, open woodlands and waste areas. It is mostly seen flowering between July to September,...
- Eryngium maritimum
- Eryngium mathiasiaeEryngium mathiasiaeEryngium mathiasiae is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Mathias' eryngo, or Mathias' button celery. It is endemic to the Modoc Plateau of northeastern California, where it grows in the vernal pools of the local river drainages, and other wet areas such as...
- Eryngium monocephalum
- Eryngium palmatum
- Eryngium pandanifolium
- Eryngium paniculatum
- Eryngium pendletonensisEryngium pendletonensisEryngium pendletonensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Pendleton button-celery. It is endemic to northern San Diego County, California, where it is known from four occurrences along the coastline between Oceanside and the Orange County border,...
- Eryngium pinnatifidumEryngium pinnatifidumEryngium pinnatifidum is a plant species in the family Apiaceae which is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It grows up to 50 cm in height and produces blue or white flowers between August and November in its native range...
- Eryngium pinnatisectumEryngium pinnatisectumEryngium pinnatisectum is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Tuolumne eryngo, or Tuolumne button celery. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the eastern Central Valley and adjacent Sierra Nevada foothills. It is a plant of vernal...
- Eryngium planumEryngium planumEryngium planum is a species of Eryngium in the plant family Apiaceae....
- Eryngium prostratum
- Eryngium proteiflorum
- Eryngium racemosumEryngium racemosumEryngium racemosum is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name delta eryngo, or delta button celery.-Distribution:...
- Eryngium serbicum
- Eryngium serra
- Eryngium spinosepalumEryngium spinosepalumEryngium spinosepalum is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name spinysepal eryngo, or spiny-sepaled button celery. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the eastern Central Valley and adjacent Sierra Nevada foothills. It is a plant of...
- Eryngium tricuspidatum
- Eryngium triquetrum
- Eryngium vaseyiEryngium vaseyiEryngium vaseyi is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name coyotethistle. It is endemic to California, where it is known from vernal pools and similar wet habitat in the Central Valley and certain areas of the Central Coast Ranges and southern California coast...
- Eryngium viviparum
- Eryngium yuccifoliumEryngium yuccifoliumEryngium yuccifolium is a common herbaceous perennial plant, native to the tallgrass prairies of central and eastern North America, from Minnesota east to Ohio and south to Texas and Florida. In the Chicago Region this species has a coefficient of conservatism of 9...