The Enchanting World of Eryngium: A Gardener’s Perspective
My name is Ferb Vu, and I’ve always been drawn to the unique and the unexpected in the plant world. That’s why I find myself captivated by the genus Eryngium, commonly known as sea holly. These plants, with their spiky, almost extraterrestrial appearance, bring a touch of drama and intrigue to any garden. They’re tough, resilient, and surprisingly versatile, thriving in conditions that would send other plants running for cover.
A Diverse and Global Family
What truly fascinates me about Eryngium is its sheer diversity. This genus boasts over 250 species scattered across the globe, each with its own distinct personality. From the towering, amethyst-hued Eryngium amethystinum of the Mediterranean to the silvery-white Eryngium giganteum that graces the Caucasus mountains, there’s an Eryngium for every taste and climate.
- Eryngium absconditum Esquivel Mattos & C.I.Calviño
- Eryngium agavifolium Griseb.
- Eryngium alismifolium Greene
- Eryngium aloifolium Mart. ex Urb.
- Eryngium alpinum L.
- Eryngium alternatum J.M.Coult. & Rose
- Eryngium amethystinum L.
- Eryngium amorginum Rech.f.
- Eryngium andicola H.Wolff
- Eryngium anomalum Hook. & Arn.
- Eryngium antiatlanticum Jury
- Eryngium aquaticum L.
- Eryngium aquifolium Cav.
- Eryngium arenosum C.I.Calviño & G.A.Levin
- Eryngium argyreum Maire
- Eryngium aristulatum Jeps.
- Eryngium armatum (S.Watson) J.M.Coult. & Rose
- Eryngium aromaticum Baldwin
- Eryngium articulatum Hook.
- Eryngium atacamense A.Padin & C.I.Calviño
- Eryngium atlanticum Batt. & Pit.
- Eryngium babadaghense G.E.Genç, Akalın & Wörz
- Eryngium balansae H.Wolff
- Eryngium baldwinii Spreng.
- Eryngium beckii M.Mend.
- Eryngium beecheyanum Hook. & Arn.
- Eryngium billardierei F.Delaroche
- Eryngium bithynicum Boiss.
- Eryngium bolivianum M.Mend.
- Eryngium bonplandii F.Delaroche
- Eryngium bornmuelleri Nábělek
- Eryngium bourgatii Gouan
- Eryngium brasiliense Constance
- Eryngium buchtienii H.Wolff
- Eryngium bungei Boiss.
- Eryngium bupleuroides Hook. & Arn.
- Eryngium caeruleum M.Bieb.
- Eryngium caespitiferum Font Quer & Pau
- Eryngium calaster Standl.
- Eryngium campestre L.
- Eryngium canaliculatum Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium cardosii Clos
- Eryngium carlinae F.Delaroche
- Eryngium carlinoides Boiss.
- Eryngium castrense Jeps.
- Eryngium cerradense P.Esquivel Mattos & C.I.Calviño
- Eryngium cervantesii F.Delaroche
- Eryngium chamissonis Urb.
- Eryngium × chevalieri Sennen
- Eryngium chubutense Neger ex Dusén
- Eryngium ciliatum Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium columnare Hemsl.
- Eryngium comosum F.Delaroche
- Eryngium constancei M.Y.Sheikh
- Eryngium coquimbanum Phil. ex Urb.
- Eryngium corallinum Mathias & Constance
- Eryngium corniculatum Lam.
- Eryngium coronatum Hook. & Arn.
- Eryngium crassifolium A.Padin & C.I.Calviño
- Eryngium crassisquamosum Hemsl.
- Eryngium creticum Lam.
- Eryngium cuneifolium Small
- Eryngium cylindricum Larrañaga
- Eryngium cymosum F.Delaroche
- Eryngium davisii Kit Tan & Yıldız
- Eryngium deppeanum Schltdl. & Cham.
- Eryngium depressum Hook. & Arn.
- Eryngium desertorum Zohary
- Eryngium dichotomum Desf.
- Eryngium diffusum Torr.
- Eryngium dilatatum Lam.
- Eryngium divaricatum Hook. & Arn.
- Eryngium dorae C.Norman
- Eryngium duriaei J.Gay ex Boiss.
- Eryngium dusenii H.Wolff
- Eryngium ebracteatum Lam.
- Eryngium eburneum Decne. ex Hérincq
- Eryngium echinatum Urb.
- Eryngium ekmanii H.Wolff
- Eryngium elegans Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium eriophorum Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium erzincanicum Yıld.
- Eryngium eurycephalum Malme
- Eryngium expansum F.Muell.
- Eryngium falcatum F.Delaroche
- Eryngium falcifolium Irgang
- Eryngium × fernandezianum Skottsb.
- Eryngium ferrisiae Constance
- Eryngium floribundum Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium fluitans M.E.Jones
- Eryngium fluminense Urb.
- Eryngium foetidum L.
- Eryngium foliosum Scheele
- Eryngium fontanum A.E.Holland & E.J.Thomps.
- Eryngium galeottii Hemsl.
- Eryngium galioides Lam.
- Eryngium gentryi Constance & Bye
- Eryngium ghiesbreghtii Decne.
- Eryngium giganteum M.Bieb.
- Eryngium glaciale Boiss.
- Eryngium glaziovianum Urb.
- Eryngium globosum Hemsl.
- Eryngium glomeratum Lam.
- Eryngium glossophyllum H.Wolff
- Eryngium goulartii Urb.
- Eryngium goyazense Urb.
- Eryngium gracile F.Delaroche
- Eryngium gramineum F.Delaroche
- Eryngium grossii Font Quer
- Eryngium guatemalense Hemsl.
- Eryngium haenkei C.Presl ex DC.
- Eryngium hainesii C.C.Towns.
- Eryngium hassleri H.Wolff
- Eryngium heldreichii Boiss.
- Eryngium hemisphaericum Urb.
- Eryngium hemsleyanum H.Wolff
- Eryngium × heteracanthum Teyber
- Eryngium heterophyllum Engelm.
- Eryngium hookeri Walp.
- Eryngium horridum Malme
- Eryngium humboldtii F.Delaroche
- Eryngium humifusum Clos
- Eryngium humile Cav.
- Eryngium huteri Porta & Rigo
- Eryngium ilex P.H.Davis
- Eryngium ilicifolium Desf.
- Eryngium inaccessum Skottsb.
- Eryngium incantatum Lucena, Novara & Cuezzo
- Eryngium integrifolium Walter
- Eryngium iranicum Mozaff.
- Eryngium irgangii D.B.Lucas
- Eryngium irwinii Constance
- Eryngium isauricum Contandr. & Quézel
- Eryngium jaliscense Mathias & Constance
- Eryngium junceum Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium juncifolium (Urb.) Mathias & Constance
- Eryngium × kalotaszegense J.Papp & Ujvárosi
- Eryngium karatavicum Iljin
- Eryngium koehneanum Urb.
- Eryngium kotschyi Boiss.
- Eryngium lacustre Pohl ex Urb.
- Eryngium leavenworthii Torr. & A.Gray
- Eryngium lemmonii J.M.Coult. & Rose
- Eryngium leptophyllum H.Wolff
- Eryngium longifolium Cav.
- Eryngium lorentzii H.Wolff
- Eryngium luzulifolium Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium macracanthum Phil.
- Eryngium macrocalyx Schrenk ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
- Eryngium madrense S.Watson
- Eryngium malmeanum H.Wolff
- Eryngium marginatum Pohl ex Urb.
- Eryngium maritimum L.
- Eryngium marocanum Pit.
- Eryngium mathiasiae M.Y.Sheikh
- Eryngium megapotamicum Malme
- Eryngium mesopotamicum T.M.Pedersen
- Eryngium mexiae Constance
- Eryngium × microcephalum Sieber
- Eryngium × mohamedanii Font Quer & Pau
- Eryngium molleri Gand.
- Eryngium moluccanum Steenis
- Eryngium monocephalum Cav.
- Eryngium montanum J.M.Coult. & Rose
- Eryngium montereyense D.W.Taylor & R.E.Preston
- Eryngium multicapitatum Morong
- Eryngium nasturtiifolium Juss. ex F.Delaroche
- Eryngium neei M.Mend.
- Eryngium noeanum Boiss.
- Eryngium nudicaule Lam.
- Eryngium octophyllum Korovin
- Eryngium ombrophilum Dusén & H.Wolff
- Eryngium ovinum A.Cunn.
- Eryngium palmatum Pančić & Vis.
- Eryngium palmeri Hemsl.
- Eryngium palmito Boiss. & Heldr.
- Eryngium paludosum (C.Moore) P.W.Michael
- Eryngium pandanifolium Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium paniculatum Cav. & Dombey ex F.Delaroche
- Eryngium paraguariense Urb.
- Eryngium pectinatum C.Presl ex DC.
- Eryngium pendletonense K.L.Marsden & M.G.Simpson
- Eryngium petiolatum Hook.
- Eryngium phyteumae F.Delaroche
- Eryngium pilularioides Hemsl. & Rose
- Eryngium pinnatifidum Bunge
- Eryngium pinnatisectum Jeps.
- Eryngium plantagineum F.Muell.
- Eryngium plantaginifolium H.Wolff
- Eryngium planum L.
- Eryngium pohlianum Urb.
- Eryngium polycephalum Hausskn. ex H.Wolff
- Eryngium pringlei Hemsl. & Rose
- Eryngium pristis Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium proliferum Brade
- Eryngium prostratum Nutt. ex DC.
- Eryngium proteiflorum F.Delaroche
- Eryngium pseudojunceum Clos
- Eryngium pseudothorifolium Contandr. & Quézel
- Eryngium pugae I.García, Mart.-Ram. & Ocampo
- Eryngium pulchellum Phil.
- Eryngium purpusii Hemsl. & Rose
- Eryngium pusillum L.
- Eryngium pyramidale Boiss. & Hausskn.
- Eryngium racemosum Jeps.
- Eryngium ramboanum Mathias & Constance
- Eryngium rauhianum Mathias & Constance
- Eryngium raulinii Mathias & Constance
- Eryngium regnellii Malme
- Eryngium riparium Larrañaga
- Eryngium rochei Constance
- Eryngium × rocheri P.Fourn.
- Eryngium rojasii H.Wolff
- Eryngium rosei Hemsl.
- Eryngium rostratum Cav.
- Eryngium sanguisorba Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium sarcophyllum Hook. & Arn.
- Eryngium scaposum Turcz.
- Eryngium scirpinum Cham.
- Eryngium sellowii H.Wolff
- Eryngium serbicum Pančić
- Eryngium serra Cham. & Schltdl.
- Eryngium serratum Cav.
- Eryngium smithii Mathias & Constance
- Eryngium sparganioides Clos
- Eryngium sparganophyllum Hemsl.
- Eryngium spinalba Vill.
- Eryngium stenophyllum Urb.
- Eryngium strotheri Constance & Affolter
- Eryngium subacaule Cav.
- Eryngium subinerme (H.Wolff) Mathias & Constance
- Eryngium supinum J.M.Black
- Eryngium tenue Desf.
- Eryngium ternatum Poir.
- Eryngium thorifolium Boiss.
- Eryngium thyrsoideum Boiss.
- Eryngium tricuspidatum L.
- Eryngium triquetrum Vahl
- Eryngium trisectum Wörz & H.Duman
- Eryngium tzeltal Constance
- Eryngium urbanianum H.Wolff
- Eryngium variifolium Coss.
- Eryngium vaseyi J.M.Coult. & Rose
- Eryngium venustum Bartlett ex Constance
- Eryngium vesiculosum Labill.
- Eryngium × visianii Teyber
- Eryngium viviparum J.Gay
- Eryngium wanaturi Woronow
- Eryngium weberbaueri H.Wolff
- Eryngium wiegandii Adamović
- Eryngium woodii M.Mend.
- Eryngium yuccifolium Michx.
- Eryngium zosterifolium H.Wolff
More Than Just a Pretty Face
But Eryngium is more than just a pretty face. These plants are incredibly valuable for pollinators, attracting bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects to the garden. Their long-lasting blooms also make them excellent cut flowers, adding a touch of wildness and sophistication to any arrangement.
And let’s not forget their resilience. Many Eryngium species thrive in poor, dry soils and can withstand drought conditions with ease. This makes them ideal for xeriscaping and rock gardens, where they can add texture and interest without demanding much in return.
A Gardener’s Delight
For me, cultivating Eryngium is a rewarding experience. I love watching their spiky foliage emerge in spring, followed by the dramatic appearance of their cone-like flowerheads. They’re a constant source of fascination, changing in color and texture throughout the seasons.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, I encourage you to give Eryngium a try. These unique and captivating plants will bring a touch of wild beauty and resilience to your garden, rewarding you with their stunning presence for years to come.
