''Eryngium mathiasiae'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae () or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium,'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot, or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering p ...

known by the common name Mathias' eryngo, or Mathias' button celery. The plant was named for American botanist

Mildred Esther Mathias Mildred Esther Mathias (September 19, 1906 – February 16, 1995) was an American botanist and professor. She was a professor at UCLA from 1962 until 1974. She also served as president of the American Society for Plant Taxonomists and the B ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

Modoc Plateau __NOTOC__ The Modoc Plateau lies in the northeast corner of California as well as parts of Oregon and Nevada. Nearly of the Modoc National Forest are on the plateau between the Medicine Lake Highlands in the west and the Warner Mountains in the ...

of northeastern

, where it grows in the

vernal pool Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the saf ...

s of the local river drainages, and other wet areas such as ditches.

Description

''Eryngium mathiasiae'' is an erect perennial herb 30 to 40 centimeters tall. There is a basal rosette of long lance-shaped leaves, the blades up to 17 centimeters long and lined with sharp-pointed serrations or lobes, borne on petioles several centimeters in length. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is an array of

flower heads A pseudanthium (; : pseudanthia) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, composite flowers ...

, each surrounded by sharp, spined

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

s. The greenish flower heads bloom in small, white petals.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
mathiasiae Endemic flora of California Flora of the Great Basin Modoc Plateau ~ Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Apiaceae-stub