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Native Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Eryngium heterophyllum (Mexican thistle)
Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Eryngium heterophyllum Engelm.

Mexican thistle, Wright's eryngo

Apiaceae (Carrot Family)

USDA Symbol: erhe3

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

This whole plant has a silvery thistle look. The leaves as well as the bracts around the flower are bristle-toothed. It grows 1 1/2-2 feet tall, with a heavy, stout stem densely branched on the upper half. The stems are smooth, but the leaves are divided into sharp lobes on each side of a midrib. The flowers are clustered on a more or less egg-shaped head, up to 3/5 inch long and smaller at the end and about 1/2 inch across. They are surrounded by showy, spiny leaf bracts. When the tiny, silvery-looking flowers mature, they turn sky-blue.

This large genus of mostly temperate regions resembles the thistles of the aster family (Asteraceae) in their prickliness, but the flowers reveal that these species belong to the carrot family. In Europe roots of some species are candied, and in South America the fiber caraguata is obtained from the leaves of one. In North America curative powers have been ascribed to some species.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Fruit:

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

Distribution

USA: AZ , LA , NM , TX
Native Distribution: Southeastern Arizona east to western Texas and south to Mexico.
Native Habitat: Sandy soil in grasslands, open woods, and along watercourses, usually in mountains.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

Benefit

Use Ornamental: It is an attractive plant, suited for use in flower arrangements, as the flowers hold their form and color for an extended period and can be handled easily enough if one is careful in cutting them.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-1118 Collected 2011-10-05 in Presidio County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Bibliography

Bibref 248 - Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller

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Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Eryngium heterophyllum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Eryngium heterophyllum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Eryngium heterophyllum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2007-07-04
Research By: TWC Staff

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