Eryngium articulatum

Beethistle, Beethistle

Family: Apiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Beethistle is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, and Sacramento Valley in seasonally wet areas on lake and stream margins at elevations below 1,800 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces bright blue or purple flowers in dense ovoid heads 1 to 2.5 centimeters long with blue-tinged sepals. Growing with stout, erect stems 30 to 120 centimeters tall that branch 2 to 5 centimeters above the basal rosette, it develops a distinctive architectural form. Its lanceolate to narrowly ovate leaves are 5 to 10 centimeters long with coarsely sharp-serrate edges, creating a striking structural appearance. The fruit is characterized by dense lanceolate scales with club-shaped papillae, giving the plant a unique texture.

Habitat: Seasonally wet areas on lake and stream margins, marshes

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: < 1800 m

Bioregions: KR (Trinity Co.), NCoRO (Napa Co.), CaR, ScV, MP

California counties: Tehama, Modoc, Shasta, Glenn, Siskiyou, Butte, Trinity, Solano, Humboldt, Lassen, Plumas, Contra Costa, Napa, Sutter, Sacramento

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