Eryngium baldwinii
| Eryngium baldwinii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Apiaceae |
| Genus: | Eryngium |
| Species: | E. baldwinii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Eryngium baldwinii Spreng.
| |
Eryngium baldwinii is a biennial aromatic herb in the Eryngium genus. Its common name is Baldwin's eryngo.[1] It is named for William Baldwin.
Ethnobotanist Dan Austin reports that it was used as breath freshener with aphrodisiac qualities and in an edible form was known as “kissing comfits".[2] It is in the Apiaceae family along with parsley, celery, and carrot.[1] Several other species of Eryngium are related.[3]
Description
Eryngium baldwinii can grow to become a spread out groundcover with hazy appearing, dark to light blue flowers. These flowers are approximately 8 millimeters long and 4 millimeters wide. The leaves of E. baldwinii may be any of the following shapes: oblong, ovate, lanceolate, entire, cleft, dentate, or pinnatifid.[4] They are approximately 2.5 centimeters wide and 7 centimeters long.[4]
Distribution and Habitat
E. baldwinii grows in much of Florida, as well as parts of Alabama and Georgia.[1][5][6] It prefers lots of sun and moist to wet soil.[1] As such, it has been observed growing in habitat types such as fresh to brackish marshes, bogs, and wet pine flatwoods.[4][5]
References
- ^ a b c d "Eryngium baldwinii - Species Details". Atlas of Florida Plants.
- ^ "Flower Friday: Baldwin's eryngo". Florida Wildflower Foundation. July 1, 2016.
- ^ "ITIS - Report: Eryngium". www.itis.gov.
- ^ a b c Tobe JD, Burks KC, Cantrell RW, Garland MA, Sweeley ME, Hall DW, Wallace P, Anglin G, Nelson G, Cooper JR, Bickner D, Gillbert K, Aymond N, Greenwood K, Raymond (1998) Florida Wetland Plants: An Identification Manual. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Tallhassee, FL.
- ^ a b Weakley AS (2015) Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Herbarium.
- ^ "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org.