''Lomatium ciliolatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the
carrot family known by the common name Yolla Bolly biscuitroot. It 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 ...
, where it is known from the mountain ranges adjacent to the north and south of the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
, at 300–600 feet, 1200–2100 m. It is often a member of the
serpentine soil
Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially anti ...
s flora in woodland and
chaparral
Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...
habitat.
Description
''Lomatium ciliolatum'' is a perennial herb growing 10 to 30 centimeters long 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 ...
. It generally lacks a stem, producing hairy, clumpy or spreading 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 7 centimeters long and divided into many highly divided leaflets with narrow 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 or purplish flowers.
See also
*
California montane chaparral and woodlands
The California montane chaparral and woodlands is an ecoregion defined by the World Wildlife Fund, spanning of mountains in the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Coast Ranges of southern and central California. The ecoregion is part of ...
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment – ''Lomatium ciliolatum''USDA Plants Profile''Lomatium ciliolatum'' – Photo gallery
ciliolatum
Endemic flora of California
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area
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