Lomatium caruifolium
Alkali desertparsley
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Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Lomatium caruifolium (Alkali desertparsley) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family.
Alkali desertparsley is a California native perennial found in dry, alkaline habitats at elevations between 100 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces delicate yellow flowers with occasional purple tones in umbrella-like clusters with 6 to 15 rays. Growing 15 to 45 centimeters tall with a slender taproot and essentially stemless, it develops complex, finely dissected leaves up to 30 centimeters wide. Its intricate leaf blades are triangular-ovate, divided into multiple narrow linear segments 2 to 60 millimeters long that create an elegant, feathery appearance. The fruit is 6 to 13 millimeters long, ovate to obovate with narrow wings.
Habitat and range
California counties: San Diego, Contra Costa, Monterey, Sonoma, San Luis Obispo, Calaveras, Fresno, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Merced, Kern, Santa Barbara, Alameda, Mendocino, Colusa, Lake, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Tulare, El Dorado, Tuolumne, Ventura, Solano, Amador, Glenn, Stanislaus, Tehama, Napa, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Shasta, Yuba, Santa Cruz, Placer, Mariposa
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 caruifolium native to California?
Yes. Lomatium caruifolium is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Lomatium caruifolium grow?
Lomatium caruifolium occurs in San Diego, Contra Costa, Monterey, Sonoma, San Luis Obispo, Calaveras, Fresno, San Joaquin and other counties.
What plant family does Lomatium caruifolium belong to?
Lomatium caruifolium is in the Apiaceae family, genus Lomatium.
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.