Osmorhiza occidentalis
Encyclopedia
Osmorhiza occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family
known by the common name western sweetroot. It is native to much of western North America, where it grows in wooded and forested areas. It is an erect perennial herb up sometimes exceeding one meter tall. The green leaves have blades up to 20 centimeters long which are divided into toothed and irregularly cut leaflets. The blade is borne on a long petiole
. The inflorescence
is a compound umbel
of many tiny yellowish flowers at the tip of a stemlike peduncle
. The fruit is elongated and narrow, up to 2.2 centimeters long.
Many Native American groups
used this plant for a great variety of medicinal purposes.
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 western sweetroot. It is native to much of western North America, where it grows in wooded and forested areas. It is an erect perennial herb up sometimes exceeding one meter tall. The green leaves have blades up to 20 centimeters long which are divided into toothed and irregularly cut leaflets. The blade is borne on a long petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. The 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...
is a compound 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 many tiny yellowish flowers at the tip of a stemlike peduncle
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
. The fruit is elongated and narrow, up to 2.2 centimeters long.
Many Native American groups
Indigenous 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...
used this plant for a great variety of medicinal purposes.