Eryngium cymosum
6th August 2015
With a wailing and gnashing of teeth (at least of those I still retain) I have to accept that I really can't
grow the Mediterranean Eryngium, those with the amazing metallic blue bracts. I see them in gardens
to the east and I envy them almost as much as I envy those who can grow Meconopsis though I am
still working on the latter. In an illogical conceptual leap I have displaced my attention to the
South American members of the genus. They have small green flower heads and are more interesting as foliage plants
than in flower, but they appreciate the moist weather here. Many of them are slightly tender so I have been amusing myself
by trying a few of them as I find them.
E. cymosum came from Crug Farm Plants who collected seed on Volcan Pico de Orizaba in Mexico. It is a high altitude
species with narrow leaves and long marginal spines.
I have it in the Agave house while I wait for seed or for the plant to get large enough to split.
These flowers didn't produce any, probably because it needs a pollinator that hasn't managed to get into the Agave house yet.
21st April 2016