''Osmorhiza longistylis'', commonly called long-styled sweet-cicely''Osmorhiza longistylis''
New England Wildflower Society or longstyle sweetroot, is an herbaceous plant in 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 ...

. It is native to North America, where it is found from the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

east to the Atlantic Coast, in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Its natural habitat is in forests with fertile soil, often in areas of loam and dappled sunlight.Aniseroot ''Osmorhiza longistylis''
IllinoisWildflowers It can be found in areas of high or average quality natural communities, and does not tolerate intense disturbance. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows to two and a half feet tall. It produces umbels of small white flowers in late spring and early summer. The crushed plant has a distinct scent of

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and ta ...

Uses

The roots have occasionally been used as a culinary substitute for anise. This species was also used historically by Native Americans as a

medicinal herb Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...

Ecology

Small to medium-sized bees, wasps, flies, and beetles feed on the nectar and pollen of the flowers. The caterpillars of the butterfly

Papilio polyxenes ''Papilio polyxenes'', the (eastern) black swallowtail, American swallowtail or parsnip swallowtail, is a butterfly found throughout much of North America. It is the state butterfly of Oklahoma and New Jersey. An extremely similar-appearing spec ...

(Black Swallowtail) feed on the foliage.

Similar species

''O. longistylis'' is very similar in appearance to ''

Osmorhiza claytonii ''Osmorhiza claytonii'' is a North American perennial herb, native to Canada and the eastern United States. It is also known as Clayton's sweetroot, sweet cicely, or woolly sweet cicely a name it shares with other members of its genus '' Osmorhi ...

'' (sweet cicely) with a similar geographic range. The roots of ''O. longistylis'' have a stronger anise smell than those of ''O. claytonii'', and the styles of the flowers protrude beyond the petals, while the styles of ''O. claytonii'' are shorter than the petals.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile of ''Osmorhiza longistylis'' (longstyle sweetroot)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7107221 longistylis Flora of North America Plants used in traditional Native American medicine