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big-seed biscuitroot, big-seed lomatium, biscuit root, large fruit lomatium, large-fruit desert-parsley

Habit Herbs blue-green, short-caulescent, rarely acaulous, 10–25(–50) cm, sparsely to densely puberulent, villous-puberulent, or tomentose, sometimes glabresent; caudex simple or 2–4-branched, with or without persistent leaf sheaths weathering into fibrous, sparsely chartaceous, or chaffy thatch at base of pseudoscape, without persistent peduncles; taproot thick throughout or with 1 or more deep, irregular to globose, tuberlike swellings.
Leaves

arising at slightly different heights, not forming just 1 rosette, green, often grayish, dull, ternate or quinate, then 2–3-pinnately dissected;

petiole sheathing basally to less than 1/2 length;

blade ovate, triangular, or rhombic, 2–15(–22) × 1–10 cm, adaxial surface of rachis not channeled, not lower than the rest of the blade surface, surfaces sparsely to densely puberulent or villous-puberulent;

primary leaflets much divided, ultimate segments 100–1500, narrowly linear to linear, oblong, ovate-lanceolate, 1–9 × 0.5–2 mm, margins entire, apex acute, callus tips 0.2–0.3 mm, firm but not spinelike, terminal segment 10–20 mm;

cauline leaves (0–)1–3.

Pseudoscapes

subterranean.

Peduncles

1–30 per plant, 1(–3) per stem, spreading to erect, not inflated, 7–25(–30) cm, exceeding leaves, 1–3 mm wide 1 cm below umbel, hirtellous.

Umbels

2.5–6 cm wide in flower, 2–10(–12.5) cm wide in fruit, rays 5–25, spreading-ascending, 2–6(–8.5) cm in fruit, subequal to unequal, usually tomentose;

involucel bractlets usually 10, distinct or connate 15–80% of length, linear-lanceolate to ovate, sometimes triangular, 2–10(–18) mm, longer ones usually equaling to greatly surpassing flowers, margins usually not scarious-margined, ciliate, entire, toothed, or lobed, sometimes densely villous-puberulent, especially distally, rarely glabrous except for marginal cilia.

Flowers

petals white or yellow, rarely green, pink, or purple, glabrous or very rarely tomentose;

anthers colored as petals, usually white;

ovaries sparsely to densely tomentose, sometimes glabrescent with age.

Fruiting pedicels

2–10(–18) mm, shorter than fruit.

Mericarps

dorsiventrally compressed, narrowly or broadly oblong, narrowly or broadly elliptic, or lanceolate, (7–)9–20(–28) × 2–8(–10) mm, length/width ratio 1.8–4.5 (usually more than 3 if east of Cascade Range), glabrous or sparsely to densely tomentose;

wings 0.9–3.3 mm wide, 40–170% of body width, paler than body;

abaxial ribs not raised;

apex acute, obtuse, or truncate;

oil ducts 1(–3) in intervals, 2–6 on commissure, sometimes obscure.

Lomatium macrocarpum

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun; fruiting late Apr–Jul.
Habitat Chaparral, meadows, prairies, pinyon-juniper woodlands, desert scrub, and sagebrush steppe, open, gravelly sites, rocky hills, clay flats.
Elevation 150–2500 m. [500–8200 ft.]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; ND; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lomatium macrocarpum is a common, widespread, variable species with hairy bractlets. In the northern Great Plains, it can be confused with L. orientale, which has glabrous involucel bractlets and often is caulescent. See the discussion under 22. L. dasycarpum regarding California plants. Some populations west of the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada have yellow petals and narrowly linear leaflets. The form in Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become very rare. A thorough review of morphological and genetic variation throughout the species’ range is warranted. Lomatium macrocarpum is a culturally significant medicinal plant to several Indigenous Peoples in the region (D. E. Moerman 1998).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 13.
Parent taxa Apiaceae > Lomatium
Sibling taxa
L. ambiguum, L. andrusianum, L. anomalum, L. attenuatum, L. austiniae, L. bentonitum, L. bicolor, L. bradshawii, L. brandegeei, L. brevifolium, L. brunsfeldianum, L. californicum, L. canbyi, L. caruifolium, L. ciliolatum, L. columbianum, L. congdonii, L. cookii, L. cous, L. cusickii, L. cuspidatum, L. dasycarpum, L. depauperatum, L. dissectum, L. donnellii, L. eastwoodiae, L. engelmannii, L. erythrocarpum, L. farinosum, L. filicinum, L. foeniculaceum, L. fusiformis, L. geyeri, L. gormanii, L. graveolens, L. grayi, L. greenmanii, L. hallii, L. hendersonii, L. hooveri, L. howellii, L. idahoense, L. insulare, L. junceum, L. juniperinum, L. klickitatense, L. knokei, L. kogholiini, L. laevigatum, L. latilobum, L. leptocarpum, L. linearifolium, L. lithosolamans, L. lucidum, L. marginatum, L. martindalei, L. minimum, L. minus, L. mohavense, L. multifidum, L. nevadense, L. nudicaule, L. nuttallii, L. observatorium, L. ochocense, L. oreganum, L. orientale, L. packardiae, L. papilioniferum, L. parryi, L. parvifolium, L. pastorale, L. peckianum, L. piperi, L. planosum, L. quintuplex, L. ravenii, L. repostum, L. rigidum, L. rollinsii, L. roneorum, L. salmoniflorum, L. sandbergii, L. scabrum, L. serpentinum, L. shevockii, L. simplex, L. stebbinsii, L. suksdorfii, L. swingerae, L. tamanitchii, L. tarantuloides, L. tenuissimum, L. thompsonii, L. torreyi, L. tracyi, L. triternatum, L. tuberosum, L. utriculatum, L. vaginatum, L. watsonii
Synonyms Peucedanum macrocarpum, L. macrocarpum var. ellipticum
Name authority (Nuttall ex Torrey & A. Gray) J. M. Coulter & Rose: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 7: 217. (1900)
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