Eryngium creticum


Eryngium creticum, or the field eryngo, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Northern and Eastern Mediterranean, eastwards to Iran. It is known in Lebanon as قرصعنة and in Israel as חרחבינה מכחילה.

Description and Habitat

An Eryngo with widely-spreading diffuse display of blue flowers on slender blue branches. The groundmost leaves spread out in a circle and are fairly simple, and wither by flowering, the leaves above being of a different kind with more complex, broadish, toothier lobing.
It is easily confused with a number of similar Eryngo - each flowerhead is surrounded by 5 slender spine-leaves, and within the head each small flower is attended by a 3-part spine; inflorescence stems are not channeled and the flowers in a head are numerous.
It naturally likes field and path edges, rocky and waste places, and similar habitats.

Distribution

It is native to the Northern and Eastern Mediterranean, eastwards to Iran, and naturalised in some further countries - native in Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Lebanon-Syria, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Sinai, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, and introduced into France.

Biology

It is pollinated by bees, beetles and flies, and tolerates poor soil. It is self-fertile and requires minimal water. The plant is found from October to April and blooms from April to August.

Etymology

The name creticum refers to the island of Crete.

Uses

The plant is used medicinally. Its stems are used to make an anti-tussive tea that is also used for kidney inflammation. It is also used as a remedy for scorpion stings in Jordan and to treat hypoglycemia.