Lomatium minus
Lomatium cookii
Day Valley desert-parsley, John Day desert parsley, John Day Valley desert parsley
agate desert parsley, Cook's lomatium
arising at slightly different heights, not forming just 1 rosette, blue-green, glaucous, often 2–3-ternate-3-pinnately dissected;
petiole broadly sheathing basally to 1/2 length;
blade triangular to ovate, 5–12 × 2.7–10 cm, surfaces glabrous;
penultimate segments narrow, usually less than 2 mm wide, ultimate segments 1000–5000, linear, 1–5 × 0.5 mm, not overlapping, margins entire, apex acute, callus tips 0–0.2 mm, firm but not spinelike, terminal segment 1–5 mm;
cauline leaves 0–2, petioles sometimes sheathing more than 1/2 length.
arising at slightly different heights, not forming just 1 rosette, green, ternate-3-pinnatisect;
petiole sheathing basally to entire length, glabrous;
blade triangular to rhombic, 8–17 × 2.5–10 cm, surfaces glabrous;
penultimate segments narrow, usually less than 2 mm wide; ultimate segments 100–250, very narrowly linear to linear, 2–9 × 0.5–0.8 mm, length/width ratio 2–12, margins entire, usually not reflexed, apex acute, callus tips 0.2 mm, firm but not spinelike, terminal segment 1–6 mm;
cauline leaves 0.
absent or subterranean.
subterranean.
1–6 per plant, usually 1 per stem, decumbent, spreading, or ascending, strongly inflated at maturity, 5–15(–24) cm, exceeding leaves, 2–8(–11) mm wide 1 cm below umbel, glabrous.
1–5 per plant, 1 per stem, ascending to erect, not inflated, 15–40 cm, exceeding leaves, 1–2(–3) mm wide 1 cm below umbel, glabrous or distally scaberulous.
2.5–4.7 cm wide in flower, 3.6–8.6 cm wide in fruit, rays 6–16, spreading, 1–4(–6) cm in fruit, subequal to unequal, glabrous;
involucel bractlets several, distinct, linear-subulate, (3–)4–9(–15) mm, shorter or longer than flowers, margins very broadly scarious, not ciliate, entire, glabrous;
umbellets 8–15-flowered.
1–3(–5.5) cm wide in flower, 2–13.5 cm wide in fruit, rays 6–14, fruiting rays 1–14, spreading to strictly erect, fertile rays 2–13 cm in fruit, except very sparsely scaberulous on angles especially distally, unequal, glabrous;
involucel bractlets 8–12, distinct, linear or obovate, occasionally acuminate, 3–10 mm, subequal to flowers, margins broadly scarious, not ciliate, entire, rarely with a few narrow lobes near apex, glabrous.
petals purple to dark pink, glabrous;
anthers purple;
ovary and young fruit glabrous.
petals yellow, glabrous;
anthers yellow;
ovary and young fruit glabrous.
(5.5–)6.5–8(–9) mm, shorter than fruit.
1–3 mm, shorter than fruit.
± dorsiventrally compressed, narrowly elliptic or oblong-oval, 8.8–16(–19.3) × (3–)4.7–7.8 mm, length/width ratio 1.9–3.3;
wings 0.9–2 mm wide, 25–50% of body width, ± same color as body;
abaxial ribs slightly raised;
apex obtuse;
oil ducts usually 1 in intervals, 3–4 on commissure, conspicuous.
thickly dorsiventrally compressed, oblong, 8–14 × 4–6 mm, length/width ratio 1.7–3(–3.2);
wings 1–2 mm wide, 30–55% of body width, about same color as or paler than body, ± turned down;
abaxial ribs not raised;
apex obtuse, rounded, or truncate, rarely acute;
oil ducts obsolete.
Lomatium minus
Lomatium cookii
Lomatium minus is strongly glaucous with purple or pink petals, narrow leaflets, and an inflated stem like that of L. columbianum. However, L. minus is a much smaller plant, and the peduncle is inflated unevenly. In mature fruits, the wings curve back, making each mericarp rounded in cross section like a bread roll. Lomatium minus is endemic to the Blue Mountains region of central Oregon, with an outlying population in northern Malheur County. It is sometimes confused with L. tuberosum, which has similar petal colors and leaflets but is endemic to central Washington. Lomatium minus is a culturally significant food plant to members of the Sahaptin Native nations (D. E. Moerman 1998).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Lomatium cookii, a rare plant of Jackson and Josephine counties, is inconspicuous except when flowering. Its habitat, unusual for Lomatium, is vernal pools, often on patterned ground (I. S. Silvernail 2008). The most similar species growing with it is L. utriculatum, which may grow on the mounds between the vernal pools where L. cookii occupies the pool bottoms and sides. Lomatium utriculatum petals are a brighter yellow and involucel bractlets are wider, not linear, and often overlapping so they obscure the view of the flowers when the umbellet is viewed from below. In contrast, involucel bractlets of L. cookii are thin and linear, although often lobed, and do not obscure the view of the paler yellow petals. Lomatium bradshawii, which grows farther north and has more-divided bractlets, is similar. See discussion under 14. L. caruifolium.
Lomatium cookii is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
