''Lomatium foeniculaceum'' is a species of flowering plant in the

carrot family 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 plan ...

known by the common name desert biscuitroot. It is native to much of western and central North America, where it grows in many types of habitat.

Description

''Lomatium foeniculaceum'' is a hairy perennial herb growing up to 30 centimeters long from a taproot. It lacks a stem, 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 from ground level. The leaves are up to about 30 centimeters long and are intricately divided into many small, narrow segments. The 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 many spreading clusters of small yellow or purplish flowers. The plant has a strong scent and the edible leaves taste like

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, Por ...

, a close relative.

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Lomatium foeniculaceum''USDA Plants Profile: Lomatium foeniculaceum''Lomatium foeniculaceum'' - Photo gallery
foeniculaceum Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of Western Canada Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Great Basin Taxa named by John Merle Coulter Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Apiaceae-stub