Lomatium californicum
California lomatium
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Lomatium californicum (California lomatium) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family, recognized by . Key features: broad leaflets, glaucous stems, tall stature.
California lomatium is a native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, southern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, and western Transverse Ranges in woodland and brushy slopes at elevations of 150 to 1,800 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in compound umbels with 8 to 20 rays forming a broad disk at the base. Growing 30 to 120 centimeters tall with a stout taproot and glaucous, glabrous stems, it develops a fibrous base with few cauline leaves. Its large, triangular-ovate leaves are 1 to 3 decimeters wide, divided into 1 to 2 ternate-pinnate sections with 2 to 5 centimeter leaflets that have three major lobes, each coarsely toothed or divided. The fruit is an oblong-ovate to elliptic structure 10 to 15 millimeters long with thickened wings and 3 to 4 oil tubes per rib-interval.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 33 sympatric species. Key features: broad leaflets, glaucous stems, tall stature
Habitat and range
Habitat: Woodland, brushy slopes
Elevation: 150-1800 m
California counties: San Luis Obispo, Kern, Napa, Ventura, Alameda, Sonoma, Colusa, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Monterey, Trinity, Siskiyou, Los Angeles, Lake, Humboldt, San Benito, Yolo, Solano, Marin, Tehama, Mendocino, Shasta, Contra Costa, Placer, San Diego, Del Norte, Sutter, San Francisco, Fresno
Outside California: southern Oregon
Bloom period
Lomatium californicum blooms Apr-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Tauschia: Lomatium fruits have prominent marginal wings; Tauschia fruits lack wings or have only slight ribs.; vs Sanicula: Lomatium has typical umbrella-shaped flower clusters; Sanicula has dense ball-like flower heads with hooked bristles.; vs Cymopterus: Lomatium grows upright with a stem; Cymopterus is stemless and grows flat to the ground.; vs Conium: Lomatium grows in dry natural habitats; Conium has purple-spotted stems and grows in moist disturbed areas.; vs Daucus: Lomatium fruits are flat with thin wings; Daucus fruits are cylindrical with spiny bristles.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lomatium californicum native to California?
Yes. Lomatium californicum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Lomatium californicum bloom?
Lomatium californicum blooms Apr-Jun.
Where in California does Lomatium californicum grow?
Lomatium californicum occurs in San Luis Obispo, Kern, Napa, Ventura, Alameda, Sonoma, Colusa, Santa Barbara and other counties, at elevations of 150-1800 m.
What plant family does Lomatium californicum belong to?
Lomatium californicum is in the Apiaceae family, genus Lomatium.
What habitat does Lomatium californicum grow in?
Lomatium californicum grows in Woodland, brushy slopes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.