Eryngium alismifolium
Alisma-leaved button-celery, Alisma-Leaved Button-Celery
(c) Gabriel Campbell-Martinez, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Eryngium alismifolium (Alisma-leaved button-celery) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family.
Alisma-leaved button-celery is a California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada at Donner Lake, the Modoc Plateau, and nearby regions in vernal pools, wet areas, and dry lakebeds at elevations of 785 to 2,020 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces white flowers in small spherical heads 5 to 12 millimeters wide, arranged in compact clusters. Growing 0.5 to 3 decimeters tall with decumbent to erect stems that have downward-arching branches, it forms a distinctive rosette with branching within the base. Its basal leaves are larger than the stem branches, with blades 6 to 15 centimeters long, lanceolate to narrowly obovate and sharply serrate or irregularly pinnately lobed. The fruit is small, about 2 to 2.5 millimeters long, with dense lanceolate scales covering its surface.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 2 sympatric species; elevation and flower color key differentiators
Habitat and range
Habitat: Vernal pools, wet areas, dry lakebeds
Elevation: 785-2020 m
California counties: Plumas, Nevada, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Sierra, Tuolumne
Outside California: to Oregon, Idaho, Nevada
Bloom period
Eryngium alismifolium blooms Jul-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Navarretia: Eryngium has compact button-like heads; Navarretia has looser clusters with spine-tipped bracts radiating outward.; vs Dipsacus: Eryngium flower heads are round or cylindrical when young; teasel heads are elongated egg-shaped from the start.; vs Cirsium: Eryngium leaves are firm and waxy; thistle leaves are softer with white woolly undersides.; vs Plantago: Eryngium grows in wetlands with spiny bracts under each flower; plantain has ribbed leaves and lacks spiny bracts.; vs Sanicula: Eryngium has a single bract under each flower and a thistle-like appearance; Sanicula lacks individual bracts.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eryngium alismifolium native to California?
Yes. Eryngium alismifolium is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Eryngium alismifolium bloom?
Eryngium alismifolium blooms Jul-Aug.
Where in California does Eryngium alismifolium grow?
Eryngium alismifolium occurs in Plumas, Nevada, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Sierra and other counties, at elevations of 785-2020 m.
What plant family does Eryngium alismifolium belong to?
Eryngium alismifolium is in the Apiaceae family, genus Eryngium.
What habitat does Eryngium alismifolium grow in?
Eryngium alismifolium grows in Vernal pools, wet areas, dry lakebeds.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.