''Lomatium congdonii'', known by the common names Mariposa desertparsley and Congdon's lomatium, is a species of flowering plant in the
carrot family .
Distribution
''Lomatium congdonii'' 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 only about 20 occurrences in the
Sierra Nevada foothills
:''See Sierra Nevada for general information about the mountain range in the United States.''
The ecology of the Sierra Nevada, located in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, is diverse and complex: the plants and animals are a significant ...
of
Mariposa and
Tuolumne Counties. It grows in
oak woodland
An oak woodland is a plant community with a tree canopy dominated by oaks (''Quercus spp.''). In terms of canopy closure, oak woodlands are intermediate between oak savanna, which is more open, and oak forest, which is more closed. Although the ...
habitat, often on
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.
Description
''Lomatium congdonii'' is a perennial herb growing from a fibrous basal stem and
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 ...
and producing upright
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 and leaves. The leaves are up to about 20 centimeters long and are intricately divided into many sharp-pointed segments. The erect inflorescence is 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 light yellow flowers.
See also
*
Joseph Whipple Congdon
Joseph Whipple Congdon (April 13, 1834 – April 5, 1910) was a lawyer by trade who contributed significantly to early botanical exploration in California, particularly in the Yosemite region, where he resided in Mariposa County, California, Marip ...
*
List of plants of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.)
References
External links
Calflora Database: ''Lomatium congdonii'' (Mariposa desertparsley, Congdon's lomatium)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Lomatium congdonii''USDA Plants Profile for ''Lomatium congdonii'' (Mariposa desertparsley)CalPhotos gallery — ''Lomatium congdonii''
congdonii
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of Mariposa County, California
Natural history of Tuolumne County, California
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