[Sweet Cicelys: The Genus Osmorhiza in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Purple Sweetroot, Purple Sweet Cicely,Purple Sweet-cicely

Osmorhiza purpurea

Synonyms: Osmorhiza chilensis var. purpurea, Osmorhiza leibergii, Washingtonia leibergii, Washingtonia purpurea

The photo above shows part of the inflorescence (more typically with pinkish to purplish flowers) of purple sweet-cicely as seen along road #8040 at about 3700' on the southern slopes of Mt. Adams.......May 28, 2005. The flower color is more reminiscent of common sweet-cicely, Osmorhiza berteroi, but the maturing fruit at left with its broad cap at the base of the style points to this being purple sweet-cicely.

Fruit of Sweet-cicely, Purple Sweetroot: Osmorhiza purpurea (Synonyms: Osmorhiza chilensis var. purpurea, Osmorhiza leibergii, Washingtonia leibergii, Washingtonia purpurea)

The photo at right shows the fruit of common sweet-cicely as seen at about 4100' abreast the ridge that separates the Dairy and Cougar Creek drainages at the southeastern corner of Mt. Adams.......July 10, 2005. Note the bristly hairs on the sides of the fruit with its gradually tapering base and the distinctive apex to the fruit, which looks like a broad triangular cap.

Characteristics:

Habitat:

Purple sweet-cicely may be found in open, most forests at the middle elevations in the mountains.

Range:

Purple sweet-cicely may be found from Alaska south through the Cascades of Washington and Oregon to northern California and east through northern Washington to northern Idaho and northwestern Montana.

In the Columbia River Gorge, it may be found at an elevation of 30'-730' along the Wauna Point Trail in the western gorge and near 450' on Hood River Mt. and Seven Mile Hill near 2000' to the east of The Dalles, OR.

Paul Slichter