''Eryngium pinnatisectum'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the family
Apiaceae, known by the common names Tuolumne eryngo and Tuolumne button celery.
[ Calflora]
/ref>
Distribution
The annual or perennial herb
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...
is endemic to central California, within areas of Sacramento County
Sacramento County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,585,055. Its county seat is Sacramento, which has been the state capital of California since 1854.
Sacramento County is the ...
, Amador County
Amador County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,474. The county seat is Jackson. Amador County, located within California's Gold Country, is known as "The ...
, Calaveras County, and Tuolumne County
Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora.
Tuolumne County comprises the ...
.[ California Native Plant Society, Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v8-02): ''Eryngium pinnatisectum'']
. accessed 20 February 2017.
It is known from the eastern Central Valley, and adjacent lower Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
foothills.[
It is a plant of wetlands, in vernal pools, foothill oak woodland (Cismontane woodland), ]yellow pine forest
Ponderosa pine forest is a plant association and plant community dominated by ponderosa pine and found in western North America. It is found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast Ranges in the Western United States and Western Canada. In ...
(Lower montane coniferous forest), freshwater wetlands, and wetland- riparian habitats.[
]
Description
''Eryngium pinnatisectum'' is an erect perennial herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
growing up to tall. It has a thick, hairless pale green branching stem.[Jepson eFlora]
/ref>
The greenish-white leaves are long and very narrow, lance-shaped with several sharp lobes, reaching 30 centimeters long.[
The inflorescence is an array of spherical ]flower heads
A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) 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, compos ...
, each surrounded by sharp-pointed, narrow 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 usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
s with thickened edges. The pale greenish flowers in the globelike head bloom in white petals.[ The blooming period is May to August.
;Conservation
The plant is a California Native Plant Society listed ]Endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
.[
]
References
External links
Calflora Database: ''Eryngium pinnatisectum'' (Tuolumne button celery, Tuolumne eryngo)Jepson eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Eryngium pinnatisectum''USDA Plants Profile for ''Eryngium pinnatisectum'' (Tuolumne eryngo)UC CalPhotos gallery of ''Eryngium pinnatisectum''
pinnatisectum
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
{{Apiaceae-stub