Eryngium amethystinum

Eryngium amethystinum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Eryngium
Species:
E. amethystinum
Binomial name
Eryngium amethystinum

Eryngium amethystinum, the amethyst eryngo,[1] Italian eryngo[2] or amethyst sea holly, is a clump-forming, perennial, tap-rooted herb. Its stem is 30 to 50 cm long and is light blue to purple in colour. It has a basal circle of obovate, pinnate, spiny, leathery, mid-green leaves. It flowers in mid to late summer with cylindrical umbels, 2โ€“3 cm long atop silvery blue bracts and branching stems. The plant is native to the eastern Mediterranean and prefers dry places and soils that are rich in calcium.[3]

References

  1. ^ NRCS. "Eryngium amethystinum". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  2. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. ^ The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, Ed. Christopher Brickell. Dorling Kindersley Ltd. London 1996. p414 ISBN 0 7513 0436 0