Huachuca Mountain Eryngo

Eryngium phyteumae Delar. f. Eryng. 51. 1808
Eryngium cylindraceum (cylindriaim) Willd.; Spreng. Syst. 1: 872, as syn. 1825. Eryngium horminoides DC. Prodr. 4: 94, ex char, fide H. Wolff. 1830. Eryngium phyleumatos Benth. PI. Hartw. 38. 1840. Eryngium discolor S. Wats. Proc. Am. Acad. 18: 193. 1883.
Eryngium mexicanum S. Wats. Proc. Am. Acad. 26: 136. 1891. Not E. mexicanum sensu H. Wolff, 1913.
Rather slender, caulescent, glabrous perennials, 3-7 dm. high, from a cluster of subfusiform roots, the stems solitary or few, simple or sparingly branched; basal leaves oblong to lanceolate, 6-20 cm. long, 1-2 cm. broad, obtuse or acute, apiculate, obscurely crenate or crenate-serrate, the venation reticulate; petioles fistulose, septate, 7-18 cm. long; cauline leaves like the basal, the upper sessile; inflorescence simple or cymosely few-branched, the heads rather large, few, pedunculate, the flowers numerous; heads amethystine to deep blue, ovoidcylindric, 1-2 cm. long, 8-12 mm. broad; bracts 6-10, reflexed, linear-lanceolate, 1-4 cm. long, 2-3 mm. broad, acute, entire to sparingly spinulose-serrate, green beneath and white or blue above, equaling or exceeding the heads; bractlets subulate, 3-5 mm. long, exceeding the fruit; coma of 3-5 subequal, entire or spinulose-serrate bractlets, 5-15 mm. long; sepals broadly ovate, mucronate, obtuse to truncate; petals oblong or oblanceolate, 1-1.5 mm. long; styles slender, exceeding the sepals; fruit ovoid, 2-3 mm. long, densely covered with flat, lanceolate, white, subequal scales.
Type locality: "Nova Hispania," Humboldt k 1 Bonpland.
Distribution: Arizona and Chihuahua to Mexico {Pennell 19,151, Townsend & Barber 291).