ERYNGIUM AMORGINUM

Family and Genus:- See- UMBELLIFERAE

Common Names:- Sea holly

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

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

sea holly.

Amorginum (L) From the the Greek Amorgos islands.

General description:- Robust perennial with a woody stock

Stems:-

1) Erect, 60-100 cm, up to 10 mm thick, conspicuously sulcate.

Leaves:-

1) Mostly basal, rather pale green, firm but not spiny, temate or pinnatisect with few

ovate, serrate segments.

Flowers:-

1) Inflorescence, usually with several branches and 10-15 head-like umbels of

densely packed umbellules.

2) Bracts, usually 5, simple, narrowly lanceolate, surrounded by spines.

a) bractlets, spiny tipped, protruding between the flowers.

3) Sepals, 2-3 mm, ovate to elliptic, obtuse, spinulose-apiculate.

4) Petals, 2.5-3 mm, ovate-oblong, white with a narrow brown midrib.

Fruit:-

1) Densely scaly.

Key features:-

1) Outer bracteoles, almost as large as bracts.

2) Stems, 50-100 cm.

3) Basal, leaves divided.

Click here for a glossary of terms used

Habitat:- Crevices of large, vertical limestone cliffs, gravelly sandy places and

wasteground by the sea. occasionally in grazed rocky dry open shrubby vegetation

below cliffs. 0-600 m.

Distribution:- Endemic to northeast Crete, Amorgos, in the Kiklades, and from this

island group. Extremely rare on Crete known only from the Afendis Kavousi area

East Crete.

Flowering time:- June-Aug.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton

Status:-

Conservation status (for threatened species): Rare (R) according to the

Red Data Book of Rare and Threatened Plants of Greece (1995).

Rare (R) according to IUCN 1997.

Protection status (for threatened species): Greek Presidential Decree

67/1981.