Biscuit Root, Bigseed Biscuitroot, Bigseed Lomatium, Gray-leaf Desert Parsley, Large-fruit Desert Parsley, Large-fruited Lomatium: Lomatium macrocarpum (Synonyms: Cogswellia macrocarpa, Ferula macrocarpa, Lomatium flavum, Lomatium macrocarpum var. artemisiarum, Lomatium macrocarpum var. ellipticum, Peucedanum macrocarpum)

The photo above shows a white-flowered form of the biscuit root as seen in the Columbia River Gorge near The Dalles, OR....2006. The photo at right shows biscuit root observed near the north rim of Rock Creek south of Box Canyon Road, about one-quarter mile south of the southern boundary of the Simcoe Mountains Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area.....April 15, 2021.

Also known as bigseed lomatium, biscuit root is an attractive perennial wildflower with several to many prostrate, arched, or erect scapes arising 10-25 cm from a cluster of lacy leaves atop a thick tuberous base. The stems are largely leafless. The leaves are somewhat ternate-pinnately or pinnately dissected into small segments up to 9 mm long and to 2 mm wide. The grayish herbage of the leaves and stems is sparsely to rather densely covered with either short, fine hairs or long, soft and unmatted shaggy hairs.

The inflorescence consists of a complex umbel , the smaller umbellets supported on unequal to subequal rays, the longer ranging from 2-6 cm long. The bractlets below the umbellets are narrow, well-developed and conspicuous, often equaling or longer than the flowers. The pedicels are 1-11 mm long at maturity. The flowers are white, purplish-white or yellow. The glabrous fruits are fairly narrow, oblong or linear-oblong or even elliptic in shape, measuring from 10-20 mm long, and usually 2-5 times as long as wide.

Biscuit root may be found on dry, open rocky plains and hills from the lowlands to well up in the foothills.

Biscuit root is a widespread species of desert parsley, and is found from southern British Columbia south through Washington and Oregon to the east of the Cascade summits to central California, and east to Manitoba, North Dakota, western Wyoming, and north-central Utah.

The photo above shows the distinctive bracts below the umbelet of biscuit root as seen atop the Horse Heaven Hills near Benton City, WA.........April 28, 2006. Note the long, lanceolate bracts radiating from the base of the involucel.

The photo at left shows biscuit root as seen on the Snow Mt. Ranch along the trail to Cowiche Mt. to the west of Yakima, WA.........March 23, 2008. The photo at right shows bigseed desert parsley as seen atop Lookout Mountain, Ochoco National Forest.........May 29, 2016.

Maturing fruits of large-fruit desert parsley as seen atop Spanish Peak, Ochoco National Forest..........September 25, 2016.

Close-ups of a light-purplish flowered specimen of bigseed biscuitroot as seen about one mile east of the high point between Bickleton and Mabton on the Mabton Road, Yakima County.........April 18, 2010.

Bigseed biscuitroot blooming at left on scablands between Long Prairie and FS Road 4230-050, Ochoco National Forest........April 30, 2016. The large involucel bracts are easily seen in these images. The photo at right shows bigseed desert parsley as observed on scablands along Forest Road 4240 about a mile south of Lame Dog Creek, Ochoco National Forest.......April 26, 2018.

The photo above shows the full umbel of biscuit root as seen at the northwestern edge to the Wenaha-Toucannon Wilderness in southeastern Washington........June 27, 1998. Note the long, lanceolate bracts radiating from the base of each involucel.

The photo at left shows bigseed biscuitroot blooming on basalt outcrops along the Sprague Highway about one mile west of Miller Ranch Road, eastern Washington.........May 28, 2014. The photo at right shows bigseed biscuitroot as seen on slopes high to the west of the Cottonwood Canyon State Park campground..........February 22, 2015.

A leaf of bigseed biscuitroot as seen (left) on sand dunes atop the White Bluffs (north), Hanford Reach National Monument..........May 26, 2014. The photo at right shows a closer view of a leaf of bigseed biscuitroot as seen on rocky slopes above and to the north of the day use area at Cottonwood Canyon State Park, Sherman County, Oregon..........March 18, 2016.

Bigseed biscuitroot observed in bloom along Box Canyon Road on BLM lands about one-half mile east of the gated trailhead at the end of the driveable road, north-central Klickitat County, WA.....April 1, 2022.

Bigseed biscuitroot as seen at left on scablands along Forest Road #2901 adjacent to the junction with Oregon Highway 31, BLM lands near Picture Rock Pass........April 30, 2017. The photo at right shows bigseed biscuitroot on rocky slopes along the Palisades Trail, Cottonwood Canyon State Park......March 22, 2019..

The photo at left shows bigseed biscuitroot as seen along the Stubblefield Trail about one-half mile west of Stubblefield Lake, Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge......May 8, 2019. The photo at right shows biscuit root as seen with Hood's phlox atop the Columbia Hills, eastern Columbia River Gorge........March 27, 2004.