''Lomatium parryi'', commonly known as Parry's biscuitroot and Utah desertparsley, 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 ...

in the carrot family. It is a common herb in high altitude areas of deserts and common in desert

National parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

, such as

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

mountains, in the western part of 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 ...

. The species epithet ''parryi'' honors Charles Christopher Parry (1823-1890), the first official botanist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a collector with the Pacific Railway Survey.

Description

''Lomatium parryi'' is a plant that grows from a taproot. The flowering stems are usually stout or and with hollow internodes. The plant grows 20 to 40 centimeters tall. The hairy, basal leaves are divided into many small segments. The yellow flowers are borne in 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 ...

only one or two centimeters wide. Like most other plants, the flowers are pollinated by insects. The fruits are schizocarp, which are flat and wide with lateral wings. They split into two halves, each one seeded.

Uses

''Lomatium parryi'' is a plant that was consumed by early Native Americans.

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6669264 Edible Apiaceae Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of Nevada Plants used in Native American cuisine Natural history of the Mojave Desert North American desert flora Herbs Taxa named by Sereno Watson Flora without expected TNC conservation status