Eryngium aristulatum
California eryngo
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Eryngium aristulatum (California eryngo) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family.
California eryngo is a California native perennial found in coastal and central western California regions in grasslands, coastal prairies, and serpentine areas at elevations from sea level to 500 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces white flowers in small spherical heads 5 to 12 millimeters wide, clustered in delicate cymes. Growing with slender to stout stems 10 to 90 centimeters tall that branch just above the basal rosette, it has a decumbent to erect growth habit. Its basal leaves are lanceolate to oblanceolate, 3 to 10 centimeters long with coarsely sharp-serrate edges and irregular lobes, mounted on petioles 5 to 27 centimeters long. The fruit is a small, narrowly elliptic structure 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters long, covered in dense, unequal lanceolate scales.
Habitat and range
California counties: Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Shasta, Riverside, San Diego, Yolo, Solano, Lake, Santa Clara, Colusa, Mendocino, Napa, Plumas, Alameda, Marin, Contra Costa, Nevada, Humboldt, Kern, Monterey
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 aristulatum native to California?
Yes. Eryngium aristulatum is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Eryngium aristulatum grow?
Eryngium aristulatum occurs in Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Shasta, Riverside, San Diego, Yolo, Solano, Lake and other counties.
What plant family does Eryngium aristulatum belong to?
Eryngium aristulatum is in the Apiaceae family, genus Eryngium.
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.