Eryngium aristulatum var. hooveri

Hoover's button-celery

Family: Apiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Hoover's button-celery is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in San Francisco Bay and south-central coastal ranges of San Luis Obispo County in vernal pools and seasonal wetlands at elevations below 50 meters. Flowering in July, this plant produces small white to pale green flowers in compact, spiny-margined heads with distinctive bristly bracts. Growing with stout, ascending to erect stems typically 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it develops a sturdy and compact growth form. Its leaves are typically divided into narrow, spiny-edged segments that create a dense, intricate texture around the plant's base. In vernal pool habitats, this diminutive button-celery forms clusters that emerge briefly during the wet season before disappearing as the ground dries.

Habitat: Vernal pools, seasonal wetlands, occasionally alkaline

Bloom period: Jul

Elevation: < 50 m

Bioregions: SnFrB, SCoRO (San Luis Obispo Co.).

California counties: Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Alameda

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.