Eryngium named Blue Glitter #4
by J McCombie
Title
Eryngium named Blue Glitter #4
Artist
J McCombie
Medium
Photograph
Description
Eryngium is a perennial and "Blue Glitter" is a coarse, thistle-like, clump-forming sea holly cultivar that is particularly noted for producing an abundant crop of "glittering" steel blue flower heads on heavily branched stems throughout summer. From basal rosettes (to 8" tall) of elliptic to oblong, cordate-based, deeply-toothed, blue green leaves (to 4" long) rise stiff silver-blue stems to 36-40" tall. Tiny, stemless, steel-blue flowers tightly packed into egg-shaped heads resembling thistles appear in profusion in summer in well-branched clusters at the stem tops. Each flower head is subtended by a narrow, spiky collar of spiny, blue-green bracts.
Many species of Eryngium have a history of use. The roots have been used as vegetables or sweetmeats. Young shoots and leaves are sometimes used as an asparagus substitute. Eryngium foetidum is a culinary herb used widely in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Uploaded
October 25th, 2012
Embed
Share