''Sanicula saxatilis'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the
parsley family known by the common names devil's blacksnakeroot
and rock sanicle.
Distribution
It is
endemic to the eastern
San Francisco Bay Area of
California. It is known only from
Mount Diablo and
Mount Hamilton, both in the
Diablo Range.
Its habitat is mostly rocky
chaparral
Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...
slopes and
talus. Although it is rare, most occurrences are in remote mountainous locales that are relatively safe from disturbance.
[The Nature Conservancy]
/ref>
Description
''Sanicula saxatilis'' is a perennial herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
producing a thick stem 10 to 25 centimeters tall from a spherical tuber. The leaves are compound, each divided into three leaflets which are deeply cut into serrated lobes. The foliage is green to purple and sometimes waxy in texture.
The inflorescence is made up of one or more heads
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may no ...
of bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
and male-only flowers with tiny, curving, pale salmon pink, yellowish or straw-colored petals.
The fruits are a few millimeters wide and covered in bumps and sometimes bristles.
References
External links
Calflora Database: ''Sanicula saxatilis'' (Diablo sanicle, Devil's blacksnakeroot, Rock sanicle)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Sanicula saxatilis''USDA Plants ProfileU.C. Photos gallery of ''Sanicula saxatilis'' images
saxatilis
Endemic flora of California
Diablo Range
Mount Diablo
Taxa named by Edward Lee Greene
Endemic flora of the San Francisco Bay Area
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