Lomatium parryi
Encyclopedia
Lomatium parryi, commonly known as Parry's biscuitroot and Utah desertparsley, is a perennial herb
in the carrot family
. It is a common herb in high altitude areas of deserts and common in desert National parks, such as Death Valley
mountains, in the western part of the United States
.
The species epithet parryi honors Charles Christopher Parry
(1823-1890), the first official botanist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a collector with the Pacific Railway Survey.
. The flowering stems are usually stout or and with hollow internodes. The plant grows 20 to 40 centimeters tall. The hairy, basal leaves are divided into many small segments. The yellow flowers are borne in an umbel
only one or two centimeters wide. Like most other plants, the flowers are pollinated
by insects.
The fruits are schizocarp
, which are flat and wide with lateral wings. They split into two halves, each one seeded.
.
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
in the carrot family
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...
. It is a common herb in high altitude areas of deserts and common in desert National parks, such as Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
mountains, in the western part of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The species epithet parryi honors Charles Christopher Parry
Charles Christopher Parry
thumb|150px|Parry circa 1875Charles Christopher Parry was a British-American botanist and mountaineer....
(1823-1890), the first official botanist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a collector with the Pacific Railway Survey.
Description
Lomatium parryi is plant grows 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...
. The flowering stems are usually stout or and with hollow internodes. The plant grows 20 to 40 centimeters tall. The hairy, basal leaves are divided into many small segments. The yellow flowers are borne in 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....
only one or two centimeters wide. Like most other plants, the flowers are pollinated
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
by insects.
The fruits are schizocarp
Schizocarp
A schizocarp is a dry fruit that develops from multiple carpels. When mature it splits up into mericarps. Mericarps are often 1-seeded as in, for example, Malva, Malvastrum, and Sida...
, which are flat and wide with lateral wings. They split into two halves, each one seeded.
Uses
Lomatium parryi is a plant that was consumed by early Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.