''Lomatium californicum'' is a species of plant related to the

carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in colour, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild ...

and the

parsnip The parsnip (''Pastinaca sativa'') is a root vegetable closely related to carrot and parsley, all belonging to the flowering plant family Apiaceae. It is a biennial plant usually grown as an annual. Its long taproot has cream-colored skin an ...

which is known by the common names California rock parsnip, celery weed, and California lomatium. This plant is native to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

.USDA: ''Lomatium californicum''
/ref> It is found on mountains and hills, at elevations of .Jepson: ''Lomatium californicum''
/ref>

Description

''Lomatium californicum'' grows to . It has coarsely toothed to lobed blue-green leaves. They resemble those of common

celery Celery (''Apium graveolens'' Dulce Group or ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''dulce'') is a cultivated plant belonging to the species ''Apium graveolens'' in the family Apiaceae that has been used as a vegetable since ancient times. The original wild ...

in both appearance and taste. The yellow flowers are in broad

umbel UMBEL (Upper Mapping and Binding Exchange Layer) is a logically organized knowledge graph of 34,000 concepts and entity types that can be used in information science for relating information from disparate sources to one another. It was retired ...

s of in diameter.

Uses

It is a traditional Native American food source and

medicinal plant Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including Plant defense against h ...

, with various parts of the plant used, including by the Kawaiisu, Yuki, and Yurok peoples.University of Michigan at Dearborn: Native American Ethnobotany of ''Lomatium californicum''
/ref> The Yuki chewed it while hunting to prevent deer from detecting human scents. The Chumash called it ''chuchupaste'' (lit. ''plant of great virtue'') and used it to cure headaches and stomach pain.

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Lomatium californicum'' (California lomatium, celery weed)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Lomatium californicum''USDA Plants Profile for ''Lomatium californicum'' (California lomatium)UC Photos gallery — ''Lomatium californicum''
californicum Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of the Klamath Mountains Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Endemic flora of the United States Plants used in Native American cuisine Pre-Columbian California cuisine Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Taxa named by Lincoln Constance Taxa named by Mildred Esther Mathias {{Apiaceae-stub