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Eryngos (Eryngium)
Eryngos is a genus of flowering thistle-like plants highly prized by gardeners for their striking purple, blue or violet flowers that top thick woody stems. Flower heads are surrounded by circular clusters of point-tipped leaves. Eryngos species bloom for long periods from late summer into fall.
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Herb/Vine
Key Facts About Eryngos
Feedback
Attributes of Eryngos
Plant Height
50 cm
Spread
50 cm
Leaf type
Semi-evergreen
Scientific Classification of Eryngos
Distribution of Eryngos
Feedback
Distribution Map of Eryngos
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
How to Grow and Care for Eryngos
Feedback
Eryngos are hardy perennials known for their striking spiny foliage and thistle-like flowers, suitable for full sun to light shade areas. They favor well-drained soil and require modest watering, being drought-tolerant once established. Challenges include root rot from overwatering and occasional pest issues like aphids. Seasonally, eryngos benefit from winter mulching in cold climates and may need protection from extreme heat in summer. Cut back spent flowers to encourage growth.
How to Water Eryngos?
What Are the Sunlight Requirements for Eryngos?
How to Propagate Eryngos?
How to Plant Eryngos?
Exploring the Eryngos Plants
Feedback
8 most common species：
Alpine sea holly
Alpine sea holly grows about 30 to 71 cm in height, and the unique blooms make it a distinctive flower that is highly ornamental. Perfect in cut or dried flower arrangements, the blooms are blue-purple with powder blue to steel blue leaves. The blooms are thistle-like in appearance with a cone-shaped center.
Culantro
Culantro, not to be confused with cilantro or coriander, is a culinary herb with a strong flavor used in dishes across East Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Cultivation is increasing as demand for this herb grows in economies around the world. In tropical areas, this herb can be grown as a perennial, but it will likely only grow as an annual in colder areas.
Blue eryngo
Blue eryngo (Eryngium planum) grows native in southeastern Europe and central Asia. It is a species of thistle that produces a blue, egg-shaped bloom in summer. It is used in landscaping for full-sun beds and borders.
Sea holly
Sea holly is found along most European coastlines. Its thistle-like flowers are a metallic blue and this perennial flowers from mid-summer through fall. It is considered endangered in many areas. These plants are easy to grow and require very little care, but will bloom longer if dead-headed.
Mediterranean sea holly
Mediterranean sea holly is a showy and low-maintenance perennial flower. Its dark silvery-green foliage has deep veins and the plant produces a cone-like flower in a silvery blue hue. These plants grow best in direct sun and drier soil. It is very attractive to bees and butterflies.
Field eryngo
Field eryngo (Eryngium campestre) is native to Europe, North Africa, and Afghanistan, usually preferring to grow in dry coastal areas. It is a popular addition to arid gardens or as a dried flower. Field eryngo oils contain saponins and tannins which help keep some animals from eating it.
Rattlesnake master
Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) is a herbaceous perennial plant species that grows best in full sunlight and dry soil. Rattlesnake master is drought tolerant and erosion resistant. The leaves of this coarse plant have been used by Native Americans to create both baskets and sandals. Monarch butterflies love the nectar from this flower, giving them nutrients to complete their yearly migration south.
Amethyst eryngo
Amethyst eryngo is appreciated widely for its striking, spiky appearance. Its blue flowerheads atop blue stems give this plant a highly distinctive appearance. What's more, butterflies love it. Amethyst eryngo often features in coastal, cottage, and gravel gardens, as well as in cut and dried flower displays.
All Species of Eryngos
Alpine sea holly
Alpine sea holly
Alpine sea holly grows about 30 to 71 cm in height, and the unique blooms make it a distinctive flower that is highly ornamental. Perfect in cut or dried flower arrangements, the blooms are blue-purple with powder blue to steel blue leaves. The blooms are thistle-like in appearance with a cone-shaped center.
Culantro
Culantro
Culantro, not to be confused with cilantro or coriander, is a culinary herb with a strong flavor used in dishes across East Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Cultivation is increasing as demand for this herb grows in economies around the world. In tropical areas, this herb can be grown as a perennial, but it will likely only grow as an annual in colder areas.
Blue eryngo
Blue eryngo
Blue eryngo (Eryngium planum) grows native in southeastern Europe and central Asia. It is a species of thistle that produces a blue, egg-shaped bloom in summer. It is used in landscaping for full-sun beds and borders.
Sea holly
Sea holly
Sea holly is found along most European coastlines. Its thistle-like flowers are a metallic blue and this perennial flowers from mid-summer through fall. It is considered endangered in many areas. These plants are easy to grow and require very little care, but will bloom longer if dead-headed.
Mediterranean sea holly
Mediterranean sea holly
Mediterranean sea holly is a showy and low-maintenance perennial flower. Its dark silvery-green foliage has deep veins and the plant produces a cone-like flower in a silvery blue hue. These plants grow best in direct sun and drier soil. It is very attractive to bees and butterflies.
Field eryngo
Field eryngo
Field eryngo (Eryngium campestre) is native to Europe, North Africa, and Afghanistan, usually preferring to grow in dry coastal areas. It is a popular addition to arid gardens or as a dried flower. Field eryngo oils contain saponins and tannins which help keep some animals from eating it.
Rattlesnake master
Rattlesnake master
Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) is a herbaceous perennial plant species that grows best in full sunlight and dry soil. Rattlesnake master is drought tolerant and erosion resistant. The leaves of this coarse plant have been used by Native Americans to create both baskets and sandals. Monarch butterflies love the nectar from this flower, giving them nutrients to complete their yearly migration south.
Amethyst eryngo
Amethyst eryngo
Amethyst eryngo is appreciated widely for its striking, spiky appearance. Its blue flowerheads atop blue stems give this plant a highly distinctive appearance. What's more, butterflies love it. Amethyst eryngo often features in coastal, cottage, and gravel gardens, as well as in cut and dried flower displays.
Leavenworth's eryngo
Leavenworth's eryngo
Leavenworth's eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii) is commonly called purple pineapple thanks to the pineapple-shaped spiky leaf tuft that grows from the center of each flower. Almost every part of the plant is spiny and some shade of purple. Considered to be top pollinator-supporters, these wildflowers attract all sorts of insects, including butterflies, moths, and bumblebees.
Hooker's eryngo
Hooker's eryngo
Hooker's eryngo is a resilient perennial herb known for its spiky metallic blue flowers that rise above thistle-like foliage. These prominent blossoms are nestled in a ruff of silvery bracts, attracting pollinators and making it a striking addition to xeric landscapes. Its rigid stems and drought tolerance reflect an adaptation to thrive in arid, rocky soils.
Sea holly
Sea holly
Sea holly features rosettes of long, spiky green leaves resembling those of agave plants, which is a survival adaptation for arid conditions. This perennial's striking silhouette is further accented by tall, branching stems bearing metallic-blue flower heads, particularly sought after by gardeners for their decorative and drought-resistant qualities.
Eryngium dilatatum
Eryngium dilatatum
Eryngium dilatatum is a striking perennial herb with rosettes of elongated, spiny leaves. Its distinctive inflorescence features spherical, steel-blue flower heads embraced by spiky bracts, each resembling a medieval mace. Typically thriving in well-drained soils, eryngium dilatatum adopts a robust form suited for open, sunny environments. The plant's arresting appearance plays a pivotal role in attracting pollinators while deterring herbivores with its prickly armor.
Tall eryngo
Tall eryngo
Eryngium giganteum grows to 1 m. It produces branched heads of pale green conical flowerheads surrounded by spiny bracts in summer. The flowers turn blue at maturity. It usually dies after flowering and is therefore normally grown as a biennial.
Eryngos 'Big Blue'
Eryngos 'Big Blue'
Eryngos 'Big Blue' is a perennial plant known for its vibrant, metallic blue, thistle-like heads. Each head is fringed with spiny bracts and stands on rigid stems, giving the plant a unique, architectural silhouette. Its distinctive visual appeal is enhanced by its longevity, blooming from summer to autumn. Eryngos 'Big Blue' prefers full sunlight and well-drained soils to thrive, making it a popular addition to coastal and rock gardens.
Alpine sea holly 'Blue Star'
Alpine sea holly 'Blue Star'
Alpine sea holly 'Blue Star' is a colorful herbaceous perennial characterized by silver-blue, cone-shaped flowers above spiny, purplish basal bracts, all born by a grey-blue stem. The cultivar reaches around 70 cm in height and makes an interesting cut flower, both in the fresh and the dry form. The flower is attractive to butterflies.
Tall eryngo 'Silver Ghost'
Tall eryngo 'Silver Ghost'
Tall eryngo 'Silver Ghost' is a Tall eryngo cultivar, bred to be more compact than its parent plant. The cultivar's foliage and flowers also reveal a more intense silvery color compared to the original species. This characteristic gives the cultivar its name and makes it a particularly desirable cultivar for gardeners.
Mediterranean sea holly 'Oxford Blue'
Mediterranean sea holly 'Oxford Blue'
Mediterranean sea holly 'Oxford Blue' is a popular cultivar of Mediterranean sea holly that looks nearly identical to its parent. However, this cultivar is known for its particularly dark blue flowerheads. This is the same shade of blue used for Oxford's school colors, which is how this cultivar got its name.
Tall eryngo 'Miss Willmott's Ghost'
Tall eryngo 'Miss Willmott's Ghost'
Tall eryngo 'Miss Willmott's Ghost' is known for its striking silvery-grey foliage and tall, conical flower heads surrounded by spiny bracts. This architectural biennial adds a ghostly elegance to borders. Its unique coloration contributes to its spectral namesake, thriving in well-drained soils and full sun, embodying resilience and stately beauty.
Blue eryngo 'Blue Cap'
Blue eryngo 'Blue Cap'
Blue eryngo 'Blue Cap' produces a number of thistle-like, brilliant blue flower heads adorned with prominent spiky bracts, just like the species. This cultivar is more compact and floriferous than its parent plant. It makes a great cut flower.
Eryngos 'Big Blue'
Eryngos 'Big Blue'
Eryngos 'Big Blue' boasts striking, metallic blue flower heads perched atop thistle-like foliage. With a resilient nature, it thrives in well-drained soils, where its spiny leaves and robust stems can endure dry spells. This hardy perennial adds a touch of architectural elegance, growing to a commanding height that attracts pollinators and admiring glances in equal measure.
Blue eryngo 'Blue Hobbit'
Blue eryngo 'Blue Hobbit'
Blue eryngo 'Blue Hobbit' offers egg-shaped, blue-purple flowers that are held on tall blue-silver stems. The spiny leaves have a silvery green-blue hue. This is a dwarf cultivar of Eryngium planum named for its blue tones and small size. A favorite with gardeners, this cultivar is tolerant of drought, deer, dry soil, rabbits, and salty coastal conditions.
Blue eryngo 'White Glitter'
Blue eryngo 'White Glitter'
Drought and salt tolerant, the blue eryngo 'White Glitter' is a deep-rooted cultivar native to southeastern Europe. A selection of the Eryngium planum, the blue eryngo 'White Glitter' is named for its silvery-white, egg-shaped flowers. A very hardy cultivar, the blue eryngo 'White Glitter' is a long-lasting cut flower with a unique texture and color that is popular with bees and butterflies. Gardeners can plant the blue eryngo 'White Glitter' in beds, borders, and small gardens.
More Popular Genus
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Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
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About
Key Facts
Distribution
How To Care
All Species
More Genus
Eryngos
Eryngium
Eryngos is a genus of flowering thistle-like plants highly prized by gardeners for their striking purple, blue or violet flowers that top thick woody stems. Flower heads are surrounded by circular clusters of point-tipped leaves. Eryngos species bloom for long periods from late summer into fall.
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Herb/Vine
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Key Facts About Eryngos
Feedback
Attributes of Eryngos
Plant Height
50 cm
Spread
50 cm
Leaf type
Semi-evergreen
Scientific Classification of Eryngos
Distribution of Eryngos
Feedback
Distribution Map of Eryngos
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
How to Grow and Care for Eryngos
Feedback
Eryngos are hardy perennials known for their striking spiny foliage and thistle-like flowers, suitable for full sun to light shade areas. They favor well-drained soil and require modest watering, being drought-tolerant once established. Challenges include root rot from overwatering and occasional pest issues like aphids. Seasonally, eryngos benefit from winter mulching in cold climates and may need protection from extreme heat in summer. Cut back spent flowers to encourage growth.
How to Water Eryngos?
What Are the Sunlight Requirements for Eryngos?
How to Propagate Eryngos?
How to Plant Eryngos?
Exploring the Eryngos Plants
Feedback
8 most common species：
Alpine sea holly
Alpine sea holly grows about 30 to 71 cm in height, and the unique blooms make it a distinctive flower that is highly ornamental. Perfect in cut or dried flower arrangements, the blooms are blue-purple with powder blue to steel blue leaves. The blooms are thistle-like in appearance with a cone-shaped center.
Culantro
Culantro, not to be confused with cilantro or coriander, is a culinary herb with a strong flavor used in dishes across East Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Cultivation is increasing as demand for this herb grows in economies around the world. In tropical areas, this herb can be grown as a perennial, but it will likely only grow as an annual in colder areas.
Blue eryngo
Blue eryngo (Eryngium planum) grows native in southeastern Europe and central Asia. It is a species of thistle that produces a blue, egg-shaped bloom in summer. It is used in landscaping for full-sun beds and borders.
Sea holly
Sea holly is found along most European coastlines. Its thistle-like flowers are a metallic blue and this perennial flowers from mid-summer through fall. It is considered endangered in many areas. These plants are easy to grow and require very little care, but will bloom longer if dead-headed.
Show More Species
All Species of Eryngos
Alpine sea holly
Culantro
Blue eryngo
Sea holly
Mediterranean sea holly
Field eryngo
Rattlesnake master
Amethyst eryngo
Leavenworth's eryngo
Hooker's eryngo
Sea holly
Eryngium dilatatum
Tall eryngo
Eryngos 'Big Blue'
Alpine sea holly 'Blue Star'
Tall eryngo 'Silver Ghost'
Mediterranean sea holly 'Oxford Blue'
Tall eryngo 'Miss Willmott's Ghost'
Blue eryngo 'Blue Cap'
Eryngos 'Big Blue'
Blue eryngo 'Blue Hobbit'
Blue eryngo 'White Glitter'
More Popular Genus
Feedback
Dracaena
Dracaena are popular house plants that are easy to grow. They can tolerate low-light conditions and require little watering. Their leaves range from variegated to dark green. Their characteristic traits include woody stems that grow slowly but offer a striking appearance for small spaces such as apartments or offices.
Fig trees
Fig trees have been cultivated in many regions for their fruits, particularly the common fig, F. carica. Most of the species have edible fruits, although the common fig is the only one of commercial value. Fig trees are also important food sources for wildlife in the tropics, including monkeys, bats, and insects.
Brambles
Brambles are members of the rose family, and there are hundreds of different types to be found throughout the European countryside. They have been culturally significant for centuries; Christian folklore stories hold that when the devil was thrown from heaven, he landed on a bramble bush. Their vigorous growth habit can tangle into native plants and take over.
Maples
The popular tree family known as maples change the color of their leaves in the fall. Many cultural traditions encourage people to watch the colors change, such as momijigari in Japan. Maples popular options for bonsai art. Alternately, their sap is used to create maple syrup.
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of flowering fruit trees that includes almonds, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. These are often known as "stone fruits" because their pits are large seeds or "stones." When prunus trees are damaged, they exhibit "gummosis," a condition in which the tree's gum (similar to sap) is secreted to the bark to help heal external wounds.
Nightshades
Nightshades is a large and diverse genus of plants, with more than 1500 different types worldwide. This genus incorporates both important staple food crops like tomato, potato, and eggplant, but also dangerous poisonous plants from the nightshade family. The name was coined by Pliny the Elder almost two thousand years ago.
Roses
Most species of roses are shrubs or climbing plants that have showy flowers and sharp thorns. They are commonly cultivated for cut flowers or as ornamental plants in gardens due to their attractive appearance, pleasant fragrance, and cultural significance in many countries. The rose hips (fruits) can also be used in jams and teas.
Oaks
Oaks are among the world's longest-lived trees, sometimes growing for over 1,000 years! The oldest known oak tree is in the southern United States and is over 1,500 years old. Oaks produce an exceedingly popular type of wood which is used to make different products, from furniture and flooring to wine barrels and even cosmetic creams.
Your Ultimate Guide to Plants
Identify grow and nurture the better way!
17,000 local species +400,000 global species studied
Nearly 5 years of research
80+ scholars in botany and gardening
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
