Sanicula crassicaulis
Encyclopedia
Sanicula crassicaulis is a species of flowering plant in the parsley family
known by the common names Pacific sanicle and Pacific blacksnakeroot. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia
to Baja California
, where it can be found in many types of habitat, including mountain slopes, grassland
, and woodlands. It is a perennial herb producing a thick stem up to 1.2 meters tall from a taproot
. The leaves have blades up to 12 centimeters long which are divided into a few deep lobes and edged with small teeth. The inflorescence
is made up of one or more heads of bisexual
and male-only
flowers with tiny, curving, yellow petals. Each head
has approximately five leaflike, lance-shaped bract
s at its base. The rounded fruits are a few millimeters long, covered in curving prickles, and borne in small clusters.
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 names Pacific sanicle and Pacific blacksnakeroot. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it can be found in many types of habitat, including mountain slopes, grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
, and woodlands. It is a perennial herb producing a thick stem up to 1.2 meters tall from a taproot
Taproot
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 leaves have blades up to 12 centimeters long which are divided into a few deep lobes and edged with small teeth. 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 made up of one or more heads of bisexual
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
and male-only
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
flowers with tiny, curving, yellow petals. Each head
Pseudanthium
A pseudanthium or flower head is a special type of inflorescence, in which several flowers are grouped together to form a flower-like structure. The real flowers are generally small and greatly reduced, but can sometimes be quite large...
has approximately five leaflike, lance-shaped bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s at its base. The rounded fruits are a few millimeters long, covered in curving prickles, and borne in small clusters.