[Desert Parsleys East of the Cascade Mts.]
Gumbo Lomatium, Gumbo-lomatium, Slender-fruited Desert Parsley, Wasatch Desertparsley, Wasatch Desert-parsley
Lomatium leptocarpum
Synonym: Lomatium bicolor var. leptocarpum
The photo above shows slender-fruited desert
parsley along forest Road #020 at Ray Ridge Viewpoint, Umatilla National Forest, southeastern Washington............June 25, 2007.
The
photo at right shows the leaf of slender-fruited desert parsley along the old
highway off of Interstate 84 as it crosses the Blue Mts. between Pendleton and
Meacham, OR............May 29, 1999.
Characteristics:
Also known as smooth-fruited desert parsley, this species is
a perennial wildflower with one to several simple to branched stems arising
10-50 cm high from a short, rounded or fusiform root, or from an elongated root
with several rounded and thickened areas connected by narrower segments. The
stems are either largely underground and surrounded by the widened sheathing
bases of the leaf petioles or are longer with up to 1 or two leaves. The blades
are 9-14 cm long and ternate then pinnately compound. The narrowly linear segments
are 0.5-4 cm long and 0.5-2 mm wide. The petioles are 2.2-7 cm long, the bases
forming a sheath around the stem.
The inflorescence is an umbel consisting of 8-20 very unequal
stems, each supporting an umbelet. These umbel stems vary from 3-10 cm long.
The several bracts are linear in shape. The umbelets contain 10-16 yellow flowers.
The fruits are oblong-linear, narrowed above with the wings half as wide as
the body or less. The fruits range from 9-15 mm long and 2-5 mm wide.
Habitat:
Slender-fruited desert parsley may be found on open slopes,
flats, swales and meadows from the lowlands to moderate elevations in the mountains.
It is often found in heavy clay soils.
Range:
Slender-fruited desert parsley may be found from the Blue Mts.
of southeastern Washington into much of eastern Oregon to the east of the Cascade
Mts. and south to California. It is found east to Clearwater, Custer, Camas
and Owyhee counties in Idaho. It is also found in southern Wyoming and Colorado.
The photo above shows a close-up of the developiong fruits of slender-fruited desert parsley along forest Road #020 at Ray Ridge Viewpoint, Umatilla National Forest, southeastern Washington............June 25, 2007. Note the very short pedicels.
The photo above shows slender-fruited desert parsley along forest Road #020 at Ray Ridge Viewpoint, Umatilla National Forest, southeastern Washington............June 25, 2007.
A cluster of developing fruits of slender-fruited desertparsley as seen in the ditch alongside Forest Service Road #16 in Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest..............July 3, 2010. Note the short, narrow bracts offset to one side of the base of the involucel and the short pedicel at the base of each slender fruit.
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Additional close-up photos (including a portion of the thick tap root) ofslender-fruited desert parsley as seen at the Lawrence Memorial Grasslands several miles southwest of Shaniko, OR................May 15, 2010.
The photo above shows the inflorescence of slender-fruited desert parsley along the old highway off of Interstate 84 as it crosses the Blue Mts. between Pendleton and Meacham, OR............May 29, 1999. Note the bracts beneath each umbelet.
Fruit of the slender-fruited desert parsley
as seen along forest road #21 near Madison Butte, Umatilla N.F..........July
1, 2001. Note that the stems below each fruit are very short (about 1-2 mm in
length at most).
The photo above shows a close-up of the bracts below one umbellet
of slender-fruited desert parsley as seen at the head of Kiger Gorge and Mosquito
Creek, Steens Mt............July 6, 2004. Note that these bracts are not equal
in length and offset to one side of the umbellet.
The photo above shows a close-up of the inflorescence
of slender-fruited desert parsley as seen at the head of Kiger Gorge and Mosquito
Creek, Steens Mt............July 6, 2004.
The photo above shows slender-fruited desert
parsley as seen at the head of Kiger Gorge and Mosquito Creek, Steens Mt............July
6, 2004.
The photo above shows a close-up of a leaf
of slender-fruited desert parsley as seen at the high point on Lonerock Rd to
the north of Lonerock, OR............May 1, 2004. Often confused with nine-leaf desert parsley, the divisions of the leaflets
of slender-fruited desert parsley seem to be more numerous and generally shorter
than those of the former species.
The photo above shows a close-up of a leaf
of slender-fruited desert parsley as seen at the high point on Lonerock Rd to
the north of Lonerock, OR............May 1, 2004.
Paul Slichter