Species: Lomatium orientale Coult. & Rose

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Lomatium orientale Coult. & Rose

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Apiaceae

Genus:

Lomatium

Species Synonyms:

Cogswellia orientalis (Coult. & Rose) M.E. Jones

Common Names:

white-flowered parsley
Northern Idaho biscuitroot
eastern Lomatium
oriental desert-parsley

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba

Saskatchewan:

southeastern Saskatchewan

Ecoregion:

Moist Mixed Grassland, Aspen Parkland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

loamy, rocky or silty clay soil in flat grassy uplands or small depressions

Associated species:

Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis, Allium textile, Astragalus
crassicarpus, Geum triflorum, Pulsatilla patens, Senecio integerrimus

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G4T4 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Lomatium orientale is threatened in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare and regionally restricted in the province. In addition, each population is locally sparse. No immediate threats are known but are possible in the future.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

1 - 4 dm tall

Roots:

taproot slender to thickened (but not bulbous)

Stems:

tufted; may be purplish part way up the stem, puberulent; leaf bases persistent

Leaves:

0 – 3; usually basal, alternate if cauline; sheathing, petiole purplish near base; leaves 4 – 100 cm long, 3 times pinnately compound, puberulent

Leaflets:

ultimate divisions crowded; segments linear, 1 – 12 mm long, 0.5 – 2 mm wide

Inflorescence:

umbel compound; involucre lacking; peduncle exceeding leaves; rays markedly unequal

Umbellets:

6 – 20; rays 3 – 4 mm long, puberulent; involucel distinct, equaling to just surpassing flowers, glabrous, margin scarious

Flowers:

purplish, or occasionally white or pinkish

Fruits:

schizocarps 3 – 10 mm long, 3 – 7 mm wide, ovate, purplish tinged, glabrous; stigma persistent; wings narrower than body; pedicel ~ 6 mm long, glabrous

LOMATIUM KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN
Lomatium looks like Musineon but Musineon is not aromatic and the fruits are wingless.

1 Ovary and fruit usually hirtellous-pubescent	L. foeniculaceum
1 Ovary and fruit glabrous	2

2 Roots bulbous; plants acaulescent; bractlets obovate	L. cous
2 Roots not bulbous (may be thickened); plants caulescent; bractlets lanceolate	3

3 Plants 3 - 15 dm tall; stems glabrous; foliage puberulent; flowers yellow, occasionally purplish	L. dissectum var. multifidum
3 Plants 1 - 5 dm tall; stems and foliage pubescent; flowers white, purplish, sometimes pinkish	4

4 Plant densely tomentose, villous, or glabrate; involucel tomentose or villous, not scarious margined, equaling to surpassing flowers; wing broader than body	L. macrocarpum
4 Plant soft-puberulent; involucel glabrous with scarious margins, equaling flowers, wing narrower than body	L. orientale