Lomatium multifidum
(c) Tim Messick, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Apiaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Lomatium multifidum is a native California perennial in the Apiaceae family, recognized by large size, wide leaves, and long fruits.
Lomatium multifidum is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, High Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Mountains, southern California coastal areas, and Great Basin in shallow rocky soils and conifer forests at elevations of 600 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in compound umbels with 10 to 30 spreading rays 3 to 10 centimeters long. Growing 30 to 140 centimeters tall with a stout taproot and scarious basal sheaths, it develops glabrous to slightly puberulent stems. Its large triangular-ovate leaves are ternate-pinnately dissected into narrow linear-oblong segments 2 to 22 millimeters long, creating a delicate, lacy appearance. The fruit is an oblong-ovate structure 12 to 16 millimeters long with thick wings narrower than the seed body.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 38 sympatric species; distinguished by large size, wide leaves, and long fruits
Habitat and range
Habitat: Shallow rocky soils, wooded or brushy slopes, generally conifer forest
Elevation: 600-3000 m
Outside California: to western Canada, Baja California
Bloom period
Lomatium multifidum blooms Apr-Jul.
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 multifidum native to California?
Yes. Lomatium multifidum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Lomatium multifidum bloom?
Lomatium multifidum blooms Apr-Jul.
What plant family does Lomatium multifidum belong to?
Lomatium multifidum is in the Apiaceae family, genus Lomatium.
What habitat does Lomatium multifidum grow in?
Lomatium multifidum grows in Shallow rocky soils, wooded or brushy slopes, generally conifer forest.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-09-30
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.