Lomatium caruifolium
Encyclopedia
Lomatium caruifolium is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family
known by the common name alkali desertparsley. It is endemic to California
, where it grows in wet, grassy areas in the northern and mid-southern foothills and plains, such as vernal pool
s and other temporary and alkaline puddles.
. It generally lacks a stem, producing erect leaves and inflorescence
s from ground level. The leaves are up to 30 centimeters long and divided into many highly divided leaflets with narrow, pointed lobes. The inflorescence is topped with an umbel
of yellowish to purplish flowers.
Apiaceae
The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...
known by the common name alkali desertparsley. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in wet, grassy areas in the northern and mid-southern foothills and plains, such as vernal pool
Vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species...
s and other temporary and alkaline puddles.
Description
Lomatium caruifolium is a perennial herb growing 15 to 45 centimeters tall from a taprootTaproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
. It generally lacks a stem, producing erect leaves and inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s from ground level. The leaves are up to 30 centimeters long and divided into many highly divided leaflets with narrow, pointed lobes. The inflorescence is topped with an umbel
Umbel
An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs....
of yellowish to purplish flowers.