Sea Holly
Sea Holly, a common name for a genus of herbs that grow in temperate and tropical regions. Eryngo, is another common name for the genus. There are more than 200 species, most of them perennial. Sea hollies are bushy, prickly-looking plants with spiny-edged, blue-green leaves and purplish-blue stems. Their tiny blue, white, or green flowers are crowded together in dense, cone- or ball-shaped clusters. The most popular cultivated species have blue flowers and grow from one to two feet (30 to 60 cm) tall.
Sea hollies are often grown as border plants and in rock gardens. The young, tender shoots of one species may be eaten like asparagus. The leaves of some species are used as seasonings and the roots as food.
Sea hollies make up the genus Eryngium of the parsley family, Umbelliferae.