Eryngium racemosum
Delta button-celery
(c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1
Eryngium racemosum (Delta button-celery) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family, recognized by rooting stems and raceme-like inflorescence diagnostic.
Delta button-celery is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada foothills in Calaveras County and northern San Joaquin Valley in seasonally flooded clay depressions at elevations of 3 to 30 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces white to faint-purple flowers in small spheric-ovoid heads 5 to 8 millimeters long. Growing with prostrate or decumbent slender stems 10 to 50 centimeters tall, it has branches emerging 1.5 to 3 centimeters above its basal rosette. Its leaves are distinctive, with lanceolate to oblong blades 3 to 5 centimeters long, featuring spiny margins or sharp serrations. The fruit is small, about 1.5 millimeters long, with dense, unequal lanceolate scales.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species; rooting stems and raceme-like inflorescence diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Seasonally flooded clay depressions in floodplains
Elevation: 3-30 m
California counties: Stanislaus, Merced, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Marin
Bloom period
Eryngium racemosum blooms Jun-Aug.
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 racemosum native to California?
Yes. Eryngium racemosum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Eryngium racemosum bloom?
Eryngium racemosum blooms Jun-Aug.
Where in California does Eryngium racemosum grow?
Eryngium racemosum occurs in Stanislaus, Merced, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Sonoma, Marin, at elevations of 3-30 m.
What plant family does Eryngium racemosum belong to?
Eryngium racemosum is in the Apiaceae family, genus Eryngium.
Is Eryngium racemosum rare or endangered?
Eryngium racemosum 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 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.