Lomatium marginatum
Butte desertparsley
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda · licence
Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Lomatium marginatum (Butte desertparsley) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family.
Butte desertparsley is a California native perennial found in rocky, open habitats at elevations of 1,000 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces small yellow flowers in delicate umbrella-like clusters with 6 to 12 spreading rays. Growing 15 to 50 centimeters tall with a slender taproot and nearly stemless form, it has distinctive finely dissected leaves with thread-like segments. Its leaves are triangular to obovate, intricately cut into thin linear segments 0.5 to 8 centimeters long, with petioles typically purple-tinged and 3 to 8 centimeters in length. The fruit is narrowly ovate, 8 to 12 millimeters long with thin wings barely wider than the seed body.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 0 sympatric species; geographically isolated
Habitat and range
California counties: Lake, Napa, Butte, Shasta, Fresno, San Joaquin, Tulare, San Benito, Tehama, Sutter, Mariposa, Yuba, Solano, El Dorado, Sacramento, Trinity, Colusa, Glenn, Calaveras, Siskiyou, Tuolumne, Modoc, Yolo, Sonoma
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 marginatum native to California?
Yes. Lomatium marginatum is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Lomatium marginatum grow?
Lomatium marginatum occurs in Lake, Napa, Butte, Shasta, Fresno, San Joaquin, Tulare, San Benito and other counties.
What plant family does Lomatium marginatum belong to?
Lomatium marginatum 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.