Family: umbellifers (Apiaceae)
Flowering time: July–September
Size: 20–40 cm
Habitat: dry rocky slopes and karst meadows
Amethyst eryngo (Eryngium amethystinum) we will easily distinguish from the other species of the umbels family, as the whole plant is distinctly spiny. The teeth on the leaf edge, the involucral leaves and the bract leaves are extended into spines, which are an effective protection against large herbivores. The sturdy stem is leafy with leaves divided to the base, and the basal leaves are also divided in this way. The lower part of the leaf blade is strap-like pressed to the stem, we say the leaf extends along the stem. The inflorescence and the upper parts of the plant turn markedly blue late in summer.
Amethyst eryngo grows on barren, dry and warm soils on a carbonate substrate. In Slovenia you will find it on sunny sites in the southwestern part of the country, where it is common, and in the central and southeastern parts of Slovenia, where it is quite rare. In the pre-Alpine and Alpine regions and in the northeastern part of the country it does not occur at all.
