Berula erecta

Cut leaved water parsnip

Family: Apiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Cut leaved water parsnip is a California native perennial found in marshy areas and streams throughout the state at elevations below 2,000 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces small white flowers in delicate compound umbels with spreading rays. Growing up to 1.5 meters tall with ascending or erect hollow stems that root at lower nodes, it develops a distinctive branching habit. Its leaves are pinnately divided with 7 to 12 pairs of oblong to ovate leaflets, which can become highly dissected when growing in submerged conditions. The small, roundish fruits are compressed and have barely visible thread-like ribs embedded in a corky wall.

Habitat: Marshy areas, streams

Bloom period: Jul-Oct

Elevation: < 2000 m

Bioregions: CA

California counties: Orange, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Modoc, Monterey, San Diego, Kern, San Bernardino, Inyo, Mono, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma, Ventura, San Mateo, San Francisco, San Benito, Riverside, Siskiyou, Santa Clara, Lassen, Butte, Colusa, Plumas, Shasta, Solano, Contra Costa, Sierra, Napa, Mendocino, Alameda, Santa Cruz, Merced

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.