''Lomatium rigidum'' is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names Big Pine biscuitroot and stiff lomatium. 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 ...

Inyo County, California Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County is ...

, where it is known only from the wilderness around the Big Pine area of the

Owens Valley Owens Valley (Numic Numic is a branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It includes seven languages spoken by Native American peoples traditionally living in the Great Basin, Colorado River basin, Snake River basin, and southern Great Pl ...

Description

''Lomatium rigidum'' is a perennial herb growing up to about half a meter-1.5 feet tall from a large

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 ...

. There is generally no stem, the 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 ...

emerging at ground level. The hairless gray-green leaf blades are made up of several sharp-toothed, fleshy segments. The

is a webbed

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 tiny yellow flowers.

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Lomatium rigidum''USDA Plants Profile; ''Lomatium rigidum''''Lomatium rigidum'' - Photo gallery
rigidum Endemic flora of California Natural history of Inyo County, California Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Apiaceae-stub