ERYNGIUM GLOMERATUM

Family and Genus:- See- UMBELLIFERAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Eryngium (Gr) A name used by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus

for sea holly.

Glomeratum (L) Collected into heads.

General description:- Very spiny, glaucous, usually many-stemmed perennial.

Stems:-

1) 30-70 cm tall, suberect, unbranched below the inflorescence, rigid, terete,

striate.

Leaves:-

1) Basal, usually persistent, coriaceous,10-15 cm, obovate, palmatisect above and

pinnatisect below, withered at anthesis;

a) segments, 2- or 3-pinnatisect with linear-lanceolate, spinescent-serrate

b) petiole, broadly winged.

2) Cauline, coriaceous pinnatifid with linear-lanceolate, pungent segments.

Flowers:-

1) Inflorescence, cylindrical to corymbiform with usually numerous pedunculate,

globose or ovoid capitula 1-2 cm, usually bluish.

2) Bracts, 2-5 cm, 5-9 linear-lanceolate, with 1-4 pairs of spines;

a) bracteoles, entire or 3-cuspidate.

3) Sepals, 1·5-2·5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, shortly aristate,

Fruit:-

1) Sparsely scaly.

Key features:-

1) Bracts, 5-7, spiny ± flat at the base.

2) Basal leaves, with 2-pinnatisect segments, withered at anthesis.

3) Capitula, in a dense, oblong panicle much exceeded by the leaves and bracts..

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Habitat:- Dry open shrubby vegetation, rocky hillslopes, roadsides, cliffs, olive

groves. 0-900 m.

Distribution:- Locally common in the SE Aegean area. - S Anatolia to Cyprus,

Syria, Palestine, N Iraq and Arabian Peninsula. Rare on Crete, Known from only

one location on the NE coast.

Flowering time:- Aug-Oct.

Photos by:- Courtesy of Wiki-Commons