The
photo at right shows a close-up of the newly opening flowers (yellow-form) subtended
by lance-like bractlets below the umbellets. Note also the grayish, hairy foliage................March
27, 2004.
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.
In the Columbia River Gorge, the white-flowered form may be found between the elevations of 200'-2400' from near Doug's Beach in the west and far eastward into the eastern end of the Gorge. The yellow-flowered form may be found between the elevations of 100'-3000' from near the White Salmon River east to the area around The Dalles, OR and Dallesport, WA.
