Eryngium mississippiense

Eryngium mississippiense is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States and was formally described in 2024. The species is part of a group of closely related North American Eryngium taxa that have historically been treated under broader species concepts.

Description

Eryngium mississippiense is a robust perennial herb characterized by stout stems and numerous flowering heads, often ranging from 20 to more than 50 per plant. The cauline leaves are ovate to elliptic, typically 1.6–4.4 cm wide, with finely serrulate margins bearing numerous teeth. The bracts subtending the inflorescences are ovate to elliptic and finely serrate, often with numerous marginal teeth.

Taxonomy

The species was described in 2024 by Kees, Weakley, and Poindexter in Phytoneuron. It represents part of a taxonomic reassessment of southeastern North American Eryngium, in which previously broad species concepts were refined to recognize distinct regional taxa.

Distribution and habitat

Eryngium mississippiense is native to the southeastern United States, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It formerly occurred in Louisiana, where it is now considered extirpated. The species is found in the Inner Gulf Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Sedimentary Appalachian regions.

Conservation

Although a global conservation status has not yet been widely published, the species is considered extirpated in Louisiana.

Identification

Within the Eryngium integrifolium species complex, Eryngium mississippiense can be distinguished by:

• Generally more robust habit than other members of the complex
• Larger inflorescences and more numerous flower heads
• Distribution centered in the eastern Gulf Coastal Plain

It differs from:

• Eryngium ludovicianum — narrower leaves and more gracile habit
• Eryngium lanceolatum — less robust and more restricted to the western Gulf Coastal Plain
• Eryngium altamaha — geographically restricted to the Altamaha River basin

See also

• Eryngium lanceolatum
• Eryngium ludovicianum
• Eryngium altamaha

References

mississippiense Category:Plants described in 2024 Category:Flora of the Southeastern United States Category:Flora of the United States Category:Endemic flora of the United States