Eryngium pendletonense
Pendleton button-celery
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Apiaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1
Eryngium pendletonense (Pendleton button-celery) is a native California perennial in the Apiaceae family, recognized by growth habit and spineless bracts diagnostic.
Pendleton button-celery is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in southern California coastal regions in coastal bluffs, grassland, and coastal-sage scrub at elevations below 50 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces small white flowers in compact heads with 9 to 19 blooms. Growing with sprawling stems up to 20 centimeters tall, it spreads with a branched main stem extending 1 to 6 centimeters beyond its basal rosette. Its distinctive leaves stretch 8 to 25 centimeters long, oblanceolate in shape with pinnately to bipinnately divided lobes that are generally lanceolate or narrowly elliptic. The fruit develops as an obovoid structure with lanceolate scales that taper to a point.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 3 sympatric species; growth habit and spineless bracts diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Clay soil, coastal bluffs, grassland, coastal-sage scrub
Elevation: < 50 m
California counties: San Diego, San Luis Obispo
Bloom period
Eryngium pendletonense blooms Apr-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.1
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 pendletonense native to California?
Yes. Eryngium pendletonense is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Eryngium pendletonense bloom?
Eryngium pendletonense blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Eryngium pendletonense grow?
Eryngium pendletonense occurs in San Diego, San Luis Obispo, at elevations of < 50 m.
What plant family does Eryngium pendletonense belong to?
Eryngium pendletonense is in the Apiaceae family, genus Eryngium.
Is Eryngium pendletonense rare or endangered?
Eryngium pendletonense carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.1, state rank S1.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.