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Lomatium triternatum (Nine-leaf Biscuitroot, Nine-leaf Desert Parsley) Foothills. Sagebrush, openings,
woodlands. Spring. Lomatium triternatum leaves are borne on narrow stems and are long, thin, and divided in threes, usually three times. A leafless flower stalk is topped by a tight cluster of glowing yellow flowers which eventually spread very wide -- as shown in the photographs below. Each plant usually produces one, six-to-twelve inch flower stalk with a three or four inch flower head. The plant is eye-catching because it commonly grows scattered in large patches. "Triternatum", means three times ternate, i.e., leaves are split three times and then again three times and then again -- although you will notice that the plant sometimes splits into threes only twice. The plant was first collected by Meriwether Lewis on the Lewis and Clark Expedition in present day Idaho along the Clearwater River, May 6, 1806. Frederick Pursh named it Seseli triternatum in his Flora Americae Septentrionalis in 1814. It has gone through numerous name changes and the presently accepted name of Lomatium triternatum was given by John Coulter in 1900. |
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Lomatium triternatum (Nine-leaf Biscuitroot, Nine-leaf Desert Parsley) Foothills. Sagebrush, openings,
woodlands. Spring. Rays elongate with age and give a very different appearance to the flower head. |
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Lomatium triternatum (Nine-leaf Biscuitroot, Nine-leaf Desert Parsley) Foothills. Sagebrush, openings,
woodlands. Spring. "Lomatium" is Greek for
a "fringe" or "border" and refers to the winged edge
of the seed, the light yellow/green border that the arrow points to below.
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Range map © John Kartesz,
County Color Key
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Range map for Lomatium triternatum |
Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state
Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Eradicated
Questionable presence