Osmorhiza occidentalis
Mountain sweet cicely
(c) Walter Siegmund, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Apiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Osmorhiza occidentalis (Mountain sweet cicely) is a native California herb in the Apiaceae family, recognized by yellow flowers and glabrous fruits without tails are key.
Mountain sweet cicely is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, northern California High Sierra, northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains, Modoc Plateau, and northern Sierra Eastern slopes in conifer forest and oak woodland at elevations of 200 to 3,200 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces yellow flowers in delicate clusters with spreading rays 3 to 8 centimeters long. Growing 40 to 120 centimeters tall with a glabrous to sparsely fine-hairy stem, it forms an elegant and somewhat open structure. Its large compound leaves are two-pinnate with leaflets 2 to 10 centimeters long, lance-oblong to ovate, and distinctively serrated with irregular lobes or cuts. Its elongated fruits are 12 to 22 millimeters long, linear-fusiform with a narrowed tip, creating an interesting architectural silhouette in woodland understories.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 2 sympatric species; yellow flowers and glabrous fruits without tails are key
Habitat and range
Habitat: Conifer forest, oak woodland
Elevation: 200-3200 m
California counties: Mono, Madera, Alpine, Tuolumne, Nevada, Amador, Modoc, Tulare, Sierra, Trinity, Plumas, Lassen, Siskiyou, Shasta, El Dorado, Placer, Glenn, Butte, Tehama, Humboldt, Calaveras, Mariposa, Lake, Colusa, Mendocino, Del Norte, Fresno, Inyo
Outside California: to western Canada, Colorado
Bloom period
Osmorhiza occidentalis blooms May-Jul.
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 occidentalis native to California?
Yes. Osmorhiza occidentalis is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Osmorhiza occidentalis bloom?
Osmorhiza occidentalis blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Osmorhiza occidentalis grow?
Osmorhiza occidentalis occurs in Mono, Madera, Alpine, Tuolumne, Nevada, Amador, Modoc, Tulare and other counties, at elevations of 200-3200 m.
What plant family does Osmorhiza occidentalis belong to?
Osmorhiza occidentalis is in the Apiaceae family, genus Osmorhiza.
What habitat does Osmorhiza occidentalis grow in?
Osmorhiza occidentalis grows in Conifer forest, oak woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.