About Eryngium amethystinum L.
Eryngium amethystinum, commonly called the amethyst eryngo, Italian eryngo, or amethyst sea holly, is a clump-forming, tap-rooted perennial herb. Its stems grow 30 to 50 centimeters in length and range in color from light blue to purple. It produces a basal rosette of obovate, pinnate, spiny, leathery leaves that are mid-green. It flowers from mid to late summer, bearing cylindrical umbels 2–3 centimeters long atop branching stems and silvery blue bracts. This species is native to the eastern Mediterranean, and it grows best in dry locations on calcium-rich soils.
