''Eryngium mathiasiae'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
Apiaceae 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 Bot ...
of
California.
It is
endemic 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
California, where it grows in the
vernal pools 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 is an array of
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, spined
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. 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