Gray's Lovage, Gray's Licorice-root, Sheep Wild Lovage
Ligusticum grayi
Synonyms: Ligusticum apiifolium var. minus, Ligusticum cusickii, Ligusticum purpureum, Ligusticum tenuifolium var. dissimilis, Pimpinella apidora var. nudicaulis
The
photo at right shows a side view of the umbel of Gray's lovage from Cheatem
Holler, Rds #31 & #37, Malheur N.F..........June 27, 2001.Gray's lovage is an erect perennial with one to several stems arising 20-60 cm high. The herbage is glabrous and the leaves are mainly basal. The stems are often leafless or may have one or two much reduced leaves. The basal leaves are ternately- or pinnately-compound with much dissected margins and which measure from 10-30 cm long. . The leaflets are up to 3 cm long and are toothed or cleft. The leaves are less divided and the divisions are much broader than those of the similar Ligusticum filicinum. Gray's lovage is an aromatic plant.
The 1-3 umbels are found at the apex of the stem or arising from the base of the upper stem leaves. The 7-18 rays of the umbel range from 2-3.5 cm long at maturity. Several awl-shaped bracts with membranous margins may be found at the base of the umbel. The flowers are white. The fruiting pedicels are 3-8 mm long. The fruit are elliptic-oblong in shape and range from 4-6 mm long. The ribs of the fruit are narrowly winged.
The roots were once pulverized and used as a fish poison. Some Native Americans cooked the young leaves.
Gray's lovage may be found on moist to dry slopes both in open meadows or on wooded slopes in the mountains. It may be found between the elevations of 2400-3000 meters.
Gray's lovage may be found from the Cascade Mts. of Washington south to the Sierra Nevada of California and east to the Blue Mts. of northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington and into western Idaho and Nevada. In southeastern Oregon, it may be found on the Steens Mt.
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