Eryngium montereyense

Fort ord button-celery

Family: Apiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Fort ord button-celery is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in central California coastal areas in vernal pools and seasonally wet swales at elevations around 140 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces small white flowers in compact heads 9 to 12 millimeters wide with delicate lance-ovate sepals. Growing with slender decumbent branches 10 to 15 centimeters tall, it has a distinctive glabrous appearance with an elegant form. Its basal leaves are linear and can reach up to 16 centimeters long, featuring pinnate structures with short linear to lanceolate lobes, while cauline leaves are shorter and coarsely serrate. The tiny fruit is 1.5 to 3 millimeters long, with unequal scales that add subtle texture to this delicate vernal pool species.

Habitat: Vernal pools, seasonally wet swales

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 140 m

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