Eryngium babadaghense

An Eryngo with moderately sized stems (to 75 cm) and complex fine-lobed leaves, becoming bluish at maturity. Each flowerhead is surrounded by 6-10 slender spine-leaves (2-7 cm), and within the head each small flower is attended by a largish spine (9-18 mm, simple, except the outer ones may be divided into 3).

It grows in Fethiye (Muğla), southwest Turkey, at 1400-1700 m on serpentine ground, and takes its name from its Babadağ ("Mt. Baba") site.

In Turkey it most resembles Eryngium kotschyi, differing by its base leaves being finer (width 2-3 mm, not to 7 mm), its stem leaves being finer (0.5-1 mm not 1-2 mm) with much longer terminal lobe (6-11 cm not 5-6 cm), larger whorled leaves under the heads, among other differences; and also Eryngium glomeratum (whose leaf lobes are substantially wider), both being present in the southwest of Turkey.^[3] Photos.

It is endemic to Turkey.^[1]