''Lomatium caruifolium'', known by the common name alkali desertparsley, is a species of flowering plant in the
carrot family.
Distribution
The perennial herb is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, in the
Central Valley and the foothills of the Inner
California Coast Ranges
The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges and the Klamath Mountains.
P ...
and
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
.
It grows in seasonally wet grassland and
riparian
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...
areas, such as
vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...
s, and other temporary and
alkaline
In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a base (chemistry), basic, ionic compound, ionic salt (chemistry), salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as ...
puddles.
Description
''Lomatium caruifolium'' grows from a
taproot
A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproo ...
, to in height. It generally lacks a stem, producing erect leaves and
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. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
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
In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...
of yellowish to purplish flowers.
Varieties
*''Lomatium caruifolium'' var. ''caruifolium'' — primarily
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...
, Bay Area, California Coast Ranges, central Sierra Nevada foothills.
*''Lomatium caruifolium'' var. ''denticulatum'' — primarily in the
Sacramento Valley
, photo =Sacramento Riverfront.jpg
, photo_caption= Sacramento
, map_image=Map california central valley.jpg
, map_caption= The Central Valley of California
, location = California, United States
, coordinates =
, boundaries = Sierra Nevada (ea ...
, northern Sierra Nevada foothills.
Calflora: ''Lomatium caruifolium'' var. ''denticulatum''
/ref>
References
External links
Calflora Database: ''Lomatium caruifolium'' (Alkali parsnip, alkali desertparsley, caraway leaved lomatium)
Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Lomatium caruifolium''
USDA Plants Profile for ''Lomatium caruifolium'' (alkali desertparsley)
UC Photos gallery — ''Lomatium caruifolium''
caruifolium
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
Natural history of the Central Valley (California)
Taxa named by John Merle Coulter
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Apiaceae-stub