Eryngium bourgatii
Eryngium bourgatii, the Mediterranean sea holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Andorra, France, Spain, and Morocco. It is an herbaceous perennial, growing to tall. The spherical, blue flowerheads have typically spiny bracts.
The species was named after a French medical doctor named Bourgat who collected plants in the Pyrenees in the company of Antoine Gouan, the author of the species, between 1766 and 1767.
Distribution
Eryngium bourgatii is fairly common in Spain, where it may be found growing as far south as Andalucía and further inland in Castile and León, as well as in the Community of Madrid and in Extremadura, among other locations. However, the plant is mostly found within the Pyrenees and in Spain's northern coastal regions—hence the common name Pyrenean eryngo—where it is known from eastern Galicia and Asturias through Cantabria and the Basque Country, eastward into Andorra and some inland parts of Catalonia. In southwestern France, it grows throughout the Pyrenees, straddling the Spanish-French border and growing on either side.Infraspecifics
Two varieties are accepted:- Eryngium bourgatii var. atlanticum – Morocco and Spain
- Eryngium bourgatii var. bourgatii – Pyrenees and northern and central Spain