Lomatium dissectum var. multifidum
Fernleaf biscuitroot, carrotleaf biscuitroot

Family: Apiaceae (Carrot family)

© 2000 Thayne Tuason. Photo taken in the Colockum Wildlife Area, dry hillside.

© 2010 Thayne Tuason. Colockum Wildlife Area.

© 2010 Thayne Tuason. Colockum Wildlife Area.

© 2010 Thayne Tuason. Colockum Wildlife Area.

Flowers:

umbels compound; flowers purple to maroon, less often yellow; inflorescence glabrous

Fruit:

fruits sessile or on very short peduncles, with corky thickened narrow wings, oblong-ovate to elliptic, glabrous

Leaves:

most of the leaves are basal, cauline leaves few; foliage generally more or less scaberulous, finely ternate-pinnately dissected; petiole 3 to 30 cm; blade 15 to 35 cm wide, triangular-ovate

Plant:

perennial; robust plants, generally 50 to 150 cm tall; several stems to many per plant. Traditionally the roots were split, dried and used for food by the Okanagon and Thompson. The dried root was also pulverized and applied to burns and wounds by the Thompson.

Habitat:

open, often rocky slopes and dry meadows, lowlands to mid elevations

Distribution of species:

chiefly west of the eastern base of the Cascades, British Columbia to northern California and in northern Idaho

Distribution of genus:

more or less 75 species: central and southern North America