[Biscuitroots and Desert Parsleys: The Genus Lomatium in the Columbia River
Gorge of Oregon and Washington]
Smooth Desert Parsley, Slickrock Biscuitroot, Slickrock Desert Parsley, Smooth Lomatium
Lomatium laevigatum
The photo above shows smooth desert parsley as seen about 1 mile
east of Celilo, OR..........March 27, 2004. Note the numerous dried peduncles
that remain from a previous year's bloom.
The
photo at right shows a leaf of smooth desert parsley.
Characteristics:
Smooth desert parsley is an attractive perennial
with erect, branching stems arising from 25-40 cm high with numerous glaucous
leaves. The ternately- to pinnately-compound leaves are primarily basal. The
margins are dissected, with the individual leaf segments linear in shape and
ranging from 1-3 cm long and 1-2 mm wide.
The rays of the compound umbels are unequally
elongate, with the longer ones ranging from 3-5 cm long. The bracts below
the individual umbels are either absent or at most one or two thin bracts
may be present. The flowers are yellow. The fruits are glabrous and elliptic
in shape, ranging from 7-12 mm long with the wings ranging from half as wide
to almost as wide as the body of the fruit.
Habitat:
Smooth desert parsley may be found on rocky ground
or in crevices in the basalt cliffs of the Columbia River Gorge.
Range:
In the Columbia River Gorge, smooth desert parsley
may be found between the elevations of 100'-700' from The Dalles Dam east to
Biggs, OR.
The photo above shows a close-up of the fruits
of smooth desert parsley.
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Smooth desert parsley in bloom at Columbia Hills Historical State Park......April 9, 2018.
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Smooth desert parsley in bloom at left along Interstate 84 near Celilo, OR.........April 18, 2010. The photo at right shows smooth desert parsley in bloom at Columia Hills Historical State Park.....March 4, 2022.
Smooth desert parsley seen along Washington Highway SR14 at Horsethief Butte..............April 24, 2006.
Smooth desert parsley blooming east of US 197 along Washington State Road 14........March 3, 2015.
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The photo at left shows a close-up of smooth
desert parsley as seen from about 1 mile east of Celilo, OR...........March
6, 2005. Note the glaucous cast to the leaves and the numerous linear to lanceolate
leaf segments that are up to several mm wide. The photo at right shows an early blooming smooth desert parsleyat Columbia Hills Historical State Park......February 9, 2020.
The photo above shows smooth desert parsley as seen about 1 mile
east of Celilo, OR...........March 27, 2004. Note the numerous dried peduncles
that remain from a previous year's bloom.
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Typical cliff-side habitat of smooth desert parsley as seen at left in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.........April 14, 2013. The photo at right shows an early-blooming smooth desert parsley as seen at the same location as at left.........March 8, 2017.
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Early blooming smooth desert parsley as seen (left and center) from the Washington side of the eastern Columbia River Gorge (same location as photo immediately above)..........February 18, 2015. The photo at right shows smooth desert parsley beginning to bloom at the same location.......February 23, 2016.
Smooth desert parsley as seen late in season (with dead foliage). I occasionally see it with green foliage and flowers into early winter when there is sufficient rainfall to send up new leaves and flowers. Photographed in the Columbia Hills State Park...........October 12, 2013.
Paul Slichter