Osmorhiza depauperata
Blunt-fruited sweet-cicely, Blunt-Fruited Sweet-Cicely
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Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3
Osmorhiza depauperata (Blunt-fruited sweet-cicely) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family, recognized by club-like, beakless fruits.
Blunt-fruited sweet-cicely is a California native perennial found in the Modoc Plateau in conifer forest and aspen woodland at elevations of 500 to 3,300 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces delicate white flowers in small spreading clusters with rays 3 to 9 centimeters long. Growing 15 to 80 centimeters tall with generally sparsely short-hairy to glabrous stems, it forms an elegant woodland herb. Its large leaves are widely ovate to round, divided into 2 to 3 ternate segments with leaflets 1.5 to 5 centimeters long, coarsely serrate and widely lanceolate to ovate. The distinctive fruit is 10 to 18 millimeters long, club-like, with a short 3 to 8.5 millimeter tail and an obtuse, beakless tip.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 2 sympatric species; club-like, beakless fruits are diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Conifer forest, aspen woodland
Elevation: 500-3300 m
California counties: Modoc, Sierra, Butte, Siskiyou
Outside California: to Alaska, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, also in central and eastern North America, southern South America
Bloom period
Osmorhiza depauperata blooms May-Jul.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.3
How to tell it apart
vs Torilis: Osmorhiza fruits are smooth and elongated; Torilis fruits are tiny and covered in hooked bristles.; vs Koelreuteria: Osmorhiza has white umbel flowers; Koelreuteria has showy yellow panicles and is a tree.; vs Anthriscus: Osmorhiza fruits are club-shaped and 8-22mm long; Anthriscus fruits are beaked and under 7mm.; vs Geranium: Osmorhiza has tiny umbel flowers; Geranium has large 5-petaled flowers.; vs Toxicodendron: Osmorhiza has compound umbels; Toxicodendron has drooping panicles and is woody.
Frequently asked questions
Is Osmorhiza depauperata native to California?
Yes. Osmorhiza depauperata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Osmorhiza depauperata bloom?
Osmorhiza depauperata blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Osmorhiza depauperata grow?
Osmorhiza depauperata occurs in Modoc, Sierra, Butte, Siskiyou, at elevations of 500-3300 m.
What plant family does Osmorhiza depauperata belong to?
Osmorhiza depauperata is in the Apiaceae family, genus Osmorhiza.
Is Osmorhiza depauperata rare or endangered?
Osmorhiza depauperata carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.3, state rank S1.
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.