''Eryngium spinosepalum'', known by the common names spinysepal eryngo and spiny-sepaled button celery, is an uncommon 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 ...

. Calflora: ''Eryngium spinosepalum''
/ref>

Distribution

The annual or perennial herb 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 ...

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 ...

, where it is native to the eastern

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

(southern 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 primari ...

foothills. It is a plant of

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, moist

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

s, swales, and similar wetland habitats. It grows at elevations of .Jepson eFlora: ''Eryngium spinosepalum''
/ref>

Description

''Eryngium spinosepalum'' is an erect

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

growing up to about tall with a thick, hairless branching stem. The leaves are widely lance-shaped to oblong, edged with sharp, pointed lobes, and up to 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 spherical flower heads each up to wide and surrounded by several narrow, pointed

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 which may be edged in spines. The heads bloom in white petals, during April and May.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Eryngium spinosepalum'' (Spiny sepaled button celery, Spinysepal eryngo)Jepson eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Eryngium spinosepalum''USDA Plants ProfileUC CalPhotos gallery of ''Eryngium spinosepalum'' (spinysepal eryngo)
spinosepalum Endemic flora of California Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) San Joaquin Valley Taxa named by Mildred Esther Mathias {{Apiaceae-stub