Eryngium armatum
Encyclopedia
Eryngium 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 leaves, each long and straight, sometimes with serrated or toothed edges. Atop stout stems are inflorescence
s of spiky flower heads each nearly a centimeter wide. Each is surrounded by seven or eight long, sharp-pointed bract
s about two centimeters long, and sometimes more layers of bractlets on top. The tiny white to purplish flowers are tucked between the layers of bracts.
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 coastal eryngo. It is endemic to the coastline of the northern half of 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 along beaches and coastal bluffs. This is a low 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 patches of thick green to yellow-green leaves, each long and straight, sometimes with serrated or toothed edges. Atop stout stems are 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...
s of spiky flower heads each nearly a centimeter wide. Each is surrounded by seven or eight long, sharp-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 about two centimeters long, and sometimes more layers of bractlets on top. The tiny white to purplish flowers are tucked between the layers of bracts.