Lomatium torreyi

Sierra biscuitroot

Family: Apiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Sierra biscuitroot is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in granite crevices within pine forests at elevations of 1,100 to 3,300 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces vibrant yellow flowers in delicate umbrella-like clusters. Growing to 10 to 30 centimeters tall with a fibrous base and long taproot, it emerges with minimal visible stem. Its distinctive leaves are finely dissected into thread-like segments, each 3 to 10 millimeters long, forming intricate lacy patterns across clustered foliage. The fruit develops as a narrow oblong structure approximately 10 to 16 millimeters long with thin wings.

Habitat: Granite crevices in pine forests

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: 1100-3300 m

Bioregions: SNH.

California counties: Fresno, Mono, Inyo, Tulare, Madera, Mariposa, El Dorado, Tuolumne, Placer, Kern

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.