Leavenworth’s Eryngo

• Egidio Leitao
Leavenworth’s Eryngo

— The first time I saw a Leavenworth’s Eryngo flower (also known as sea holly) I was walking along the San Gabriel River in Georgetown, Texas, just about 30 minutes north of Austin. The bright purple colors caught my eye instantly. It was a large field right on the banks of the river. I went down near them to get some photos.

Leavenworth’s Eryngo

Leavenworth’s Eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii) is a species of plant that is naturally green and purple. The green coloration, as expected, comes from the chlorophyll pigment present in the leaves. My curiosity was about the purple color. Through an online search, I found that the color purple is likely due to pigments called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are responsible for various colors in plants, including shades of red, purple, and blue. They often serve as protection against environmental factors such as UV radiation and can also attract pollinators. In the case of Leavenworth’s Eryngo, the combination of green and purple pigments creates a striking and visually appealing coloration. You can easily see how pollinators are attracted to them in the next two photos.


The funny thing about the photo with the grasshopper is that I had not seen it when I began photographing the flower. It was hidden under the leaves and was very still. I was being cautious not to be pricked by those spiky leaves so I completely overlooked the grasshopper at first.

Leavenworth’s Eryngo is native to North America, specifically the southeastern United States, including areas like Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas. It thrives in dry, sandy habitats such as pine forests, sandhills, and coastal dunes. So, it was no surprise I found this field by the San Gabriel River’s banks. This plant has adapted to survive in dry and arid conditions. Its deep taproot enables it to access water from deeper soil levels, making it more resilient to drought and water scarcity.

It typically grows to a height of about 2 to 4 feet (60 to 120 centimeters) and has distinctive spiky leaves that are often bluish-green. The flower heads are cone-shaped (like a pineapple) and consist of tightly clustered bracts that can be varying shades of purple, ranging from deep violet to lavender. The macro photo I have here shows up close the flower heads and their bracts.

Center detail

For Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD).

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23 thoughts on “Leavenworth’s Eryngo”

  7. What an interesting plant and I love its purple color, my favorite color. I have never seen that plant found here in Cyprus. I understand you missed the grasshopper when you took that photo. Sometimes you are pleasantly surprised when you look at your images on the computer. like the spider on my last flower. I didn’t even notice it until someone commented on it!
    You took fantastic pictures Egídio! The first one is amazing.

  10. Anita, thank you for your comments. I believe you’d have loved to see that field covered with several of those flowers. You are correct about sometimes missing things on the field and discovering them while looking at the photo on the computer. Thanks, again.

  15. Beautiful photographs. I love the detail you captured in the second one. I almost felt like I could reach out and touch it and feel the sharpness of each point.

  22. What a pretty wander for you. Yes, they bite back if you touch them, but necessary for our bees and grasshoppers. I love when we see fields of them in the desert. Not sure they are the same variety, but beautiful just the same.

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