Lomatium tracyi
Tracy's lomatium, Tracy's Lomatium
(c) Kayla Sweeten, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Lomatium tracyi (Tracy's lomatium) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family, recognized by stemless habit, serpentine habitat, and thread-like overlapping leaf segments.
Tracy's lomatium is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, and Cascade Range highlands in open pine forests on serpentine at elevations of 500 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces bright yellow flowers in delicate umbels with 6 to 12 rays. Growing 10 to 35 centimeters tall with a slender taproot and nearly stemless habit, it has finely divided leaves with thread-like to oblong segments that often overlap. Its leaves are complex, with a 2.5 to 8 centimeter petiole and a blade 4.5 to 10 centimeters long that is ternate-pinnately or twice-pinnately dissected into narrow segments 1 to 7 millimeters long. The fruit is a glabrous, oblong-ovate structure 6 to 10 millimeters long with narrow wings.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 32 sympatric species; distinguished by stemless habit, serpentine habitat, and thread-like overlapping leaf segments
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open pine forest, on serpentine
Elevation: 500-1500 m
California counties: Humboldt, Trinity, Lassen, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Shasta, Del Norte, Tehama
Bloom period
Lomatium tracyi blooms May-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
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 tracyi native to California?
Yes. Lomatium tracyi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Lomatium tracyi bloom?
Lomatium tracyi blooms May-Jun.
Where in California does Lomatium tracyi grow?
Lomatium tracyi occurs in Humboldt, Trinity, Lassen, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Shasta, Del Norte, Tehama, at elevations of 500-1500 m.
What plant family does Lomatium tracyi belong to?
Lomatium tracyi is in the Apiaceae family, genus Lomatium.
Is Lomatium tracyi rare or endangered?
Lomatium tracyi carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.