Lomatium ravenii
Raven's lomatium, Raven's Lomatium
(c) Curtis Drake, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Curtis Drake · licence
Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Lomatium ravenii (Raven's lomatium) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family.
Raven's lomatium is a California native perennial found in grassland and oak woodland habitats at elevations of 300 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces white flowers, occasionally purple-tinged, in delicate umbels with 3 to 18 unequal rays. Growing 10 to 40 centimeters tall with a distinctive deep-seated tuber and fibrous base, its herbage appears generally grayish due to dense, fine soft hairs. Its leaves are complex, with petioles 2 to 12 centimeters long, divided into an oblong to widely ovate blade that is ternate-pinnately or pinnately dissected. The small fruits are 4 to 8 millimeters long, ovate to round, and softly hairy with narrow wings.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 0 sympatric species; geographically isolated but varieties exist
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 ravenii native to California?
Yes. Lomatium ravenii is native to California (recorded as native).
What plant family does Lomatium ravenii belong to?
Lomatium ravenii is in the Apiaceae family, genus Lomatium.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.