Lomatium roseanum
Encyclopedia
Adobe parsley also goes by the names of adobe lomatium and rose-flowered desert-parsley. It is a very rare plant
of the Western U.S., known only from northwestern Nevada
and southeastern Oregon
, and which may also occur in northeastern California
. The largest populations occur on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
. It is a member of the celery
family, the Umbelliferae
, and has yellow flowers.
in Nevada and nearby places in southeastern Oregon, where it has possibly already been extirpated. It is also suspected to exist in Humboldt County, Nevada
. Fewer than 20 known populations exist, though these can be large.
Adobe parsley lives in loose, rocky habitat. Specifically, it prefers dry basalt
talus scree overlying clay
soils. It associates with the low sagebrush community, and specific associates include Artemisia arbuscula
, Poa secunda
, Elymus elymoides
, Arenaria aculeata
, Phlox
spp., Erigeron linearis
, etc.
The fire ecology
of this plant is unknown for members of this genus
. The low sagebrush community type within which adobe parsley lives generally lacks enough fuel
s to carry a fire. When it does burn, these non-fire adapted shrubs are usually killed and replaced by medusahead
and cheatgrass, and re-establish low sagebrush vegetation through time (2 to 5 years) via seed
s.
Rare species
A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon or scarce. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and may be distinct from the term "endangered" or "threatened species" but not "extinct"....
of the Western U.S., known only from northwestern Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
and southeastern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and which may also occur in northeastern 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...
. The largest populations occur on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge located on the northern border of the U.S. state of Nevada. A very small part extends northward into Oregon. It is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as the Nevada component of the Sheldon-Hart Mountain...
. It is a member of the celery
Celery
Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...
family, the Umbelliferae
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...
, and has yellow flowers.
Technical description
- PlantPlantPlants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
perennial, long-lived, usually over 10 cm tall, glabrous, somewhat caulescent at the base. - RootRootIn vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
tuberous, thick. - LeavesLeafA leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
green, shiny, ternate, with ternate-pinnately dissected leaflets, the ultimate segments numerous and small (<1 cm); petiole dilated (flared out) and sheathing at the base. - Scapes (peduncles) ascending, arcuate (curved), 15-20 cm long.
- Involucels with slender bractlets.
- FlowerFlowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s yellow, aging to whitish. - FruitFruitIn broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
only very narrowly laterally winged; dorsal ribs wingless.
Distribution, habitat, and ecology
The range of adobe parsley is extremely limited: it is known only from Washoe CountyWashoe County, Nevada
Washoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 421,407 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County includes the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.-History:...
in Nevada and nearby places in southeastern Oregon, where it has possibly already been extirpated. It is also suspected to exist in Humboldt County, Nevada
Humboldt County, Nevada
Humboldt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of 2007, the population was estimated to be 18,052. Its county seat is Winnemucca.The county was the site of an arrest in 2000 that led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision Hiibel v...
. Fewer than 20 known populations exist, though these can be large.
Adobe parsley lives in loose, rocky habitat. Specifically, it prefers dry basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
talus scree overlying clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
soils. It associates with the low sagebrush community, and specific associates include Artemisia arbuscula
Artemisia arbuscula
Artemisia arbuscula is a species of sagebrush known by the common names little sagebrush, low sagebrush, or black sagebrush....
, Poa secunda
Poa secunda
Poa secunda is a widespread species of grass native to North America. It is highly resistant to drought conditions, and provides excellent fodder.-External links:**...
, Elymus elymoides
Elymus elymoides
Elymus elymoides is a species of wild rye known by the common name squirreltail. This grass is native to most of North America west of the Mississippi River. It occurs in a number of ecosystems, from alpine forest to desert sage scrub to valley grassland.-Description:Elymus elymoides is a perennial...
, Arenaria aculeata
Arenaria aculeata
Arenaria aculeata is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name prickly sandwort. It is native to the western United States, where it grows mainly in mountainous areas, on rocky slopes and volcanic soils.This is a mat-forming perennial herb growing in clumps of waxy...
, Phlox
Phlox
Phlox is a genus of 67 species of perennial and annual plants found mostly in North America in diverse habitats from alpine tundra to open woodland and prairie. Some flower in spring, others in summer and autumn....
spp., Erigeron linearis
Erigeron linearis
Erigeron linearis is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name desert yellow fleabane.This wildflower is native to western North America from the high mountains of California to northwestern Canada. This is a small clumping perennial daisy reaching a maximum height...
, etc.
The fire ecology
Fire ecology
Fire ecology is concerned with the processes linking the natural incidence of fire in an ecosystem and the ecological effects of this fire. Many ecosystems, such as the North American prairie and chaparral ecosystems, and the South African savanna, have evolved with fire as a natural and necessary...
of this plant is unknown for members of this genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
. The low sagebrush community type within which adobe parsley lives generally lacks enough fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
s to carry a fire. When it does burn, these non-fire adapted shrubs are usually killed and replaced by medusahead
Taeniatherum caput-medusae
Taeniatherum caput-medusae is a species of grass known by the common name medusahead. This aggressive winter annual grass is changing the ecology of western rangelands in North America. Forty-eight percent of the total land area of the United States is rangeland, pastureland, national parks, nature...
and cheatgrass, and re-establish low sagebrush vegetation through time (2 to 5 years) via seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s.
Conservation status and threats
- U.S. Forest ServiceUnited States Forest ServiceThe United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
: Pacific Southwest Region Sensitive Species - California Native Plant SocietyCalifornia Native Plant SocietyThe California Native Plant Society is a California not-for-profit organization that seeks to increase understanding of California's native flora and to preserve that flora. Its "paramount purpose is to preserve wild plants".-History:...
: Not Listed (not known from California) - Nevada Natural Heritage Program: Sensitive Plant
- NatureServeNatureServeNatureServe is a non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to provide the scientific basis for effective conservation action. NatureServe and its network of natural heritage programs are the leading source for information about rare and endangered species and threatened ecosystems in...
Nevada State Rank: S2S3; Global Rank: G2