''Lomatium columbianum'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

of the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...

known by the common names purple leptotaenia and Columbia desert parsley. It is endemic to the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

s of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, mostly along the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

east of the Cascades.

Description

''Lomatium columbianum'' is a bushy plant, up to 2 meters tall, with extensively divided stems and leaves with a glaucous, often blue-green, color. The flowers are purple and are held in clusters on thick fleshy stems that arise from the base of the plant. Hitchcock, C.L. and Cronquist, A. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd Edition, p. 651. University of Washington Press, Seattle.

Range and Habitat

''Lomatium columbianum'' is found in the lower Columbia River basin in Washington and Oregon. It grows in dry rocky soils in full sun.

Gallery

Image: Lomatium columbianum iNat-73441355.1.jpg, In flower Image: Lomatium columbianum iNat-73441355.2.jpg, Flower closeup Image: Lomatium columbianum iNat-73441355.3.jpg, Foliage

References

External links

* * columbianum Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Apiaceae-stub