Eryngium spinosepalum
Encyclopedia
Eryngium 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 vernal pool
s and similar wet habitat in the hills and grasslands. This is an erect perennial
herb
growing up to about 75 centimeters tall with a thick, hairless branching stem. The leaves are widely lance-shaped to oblong, edged with sharp, pointed lobes, and up to 35 centimeters in length. The inflorescence
is an array of spherical flower heads each up to 2 centimeters wide and surrounded by several narrow, pointed bract
s which may be edged in spines. The heads bloom in white petals.
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...
known by the common name spinysepal eryngo, or spiny-sepaled button celery. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is known from the eastern Central Valley and adjacent Sierra Nevada foothills. It is a plant of vernal pool
Vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species...
s and similar wet habitat in the hills and grasslands. This is an erect perennial
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...
herb
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
growing up to about 75 centimeters tall with a thick, hairless branching stem. The leaves are widely lance-shaped to oblong, edged with sharp, pointed lobes, and up to 35 centimeters in length. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is an array of spherical flower heads each up to 2 centimeters wide and surrounded by several narrow, pointed 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 which may be edged in spines. The heads bloom in white petals.