Osmorhiza occidentalis

Osmorhiza occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae known by the common name western sweet cicely[1]:110 or western sweetroot.

Osmorhiza occidentalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Osmorhiza
Species:
O. occidentalis
Binomial name
Osmorhiza occidentalis

It is native to western North America, including the Northwestern United States and California. It grows in moist wooded and forested areas, most commonly in montane forests between 1,200–3,000 metres (3,900–9,800 ft).[2][3]

Description

Osmorhiza occidentalis is an erect perennial herb up sometimes exceeding 1 metre (3.3 ft) tall.[4][5]

The green leaves have blades up to 20 centimeters long which are divided into toothed and irregularly cut leaflets. The blade is borne on a long petiole.[4][5]

The inflorescence is a compound umbel of many tiny yellowish flowers at the tip of a stemlike peduncle. The fruit is elongated and narrow, up to 2.2 centimeters long.[4][5]

Uses

Many Native American groups used this plant for a great variety of medicinal purposes.[6]

References
  1. Great Basin Wildflowers, Laird R. Blackwell, 2006, Morris Book Publishing LLC., ISBN 0-7627-3805-7
  2. Sullivan, Steven. K. (2015). "Osmorhiza occidentalis". Wildflower Search. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
  3. "Osmorhiza occidentalis". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
  4. Klinkenberg, Brian (Editor) (2014). "Osmorhiza occidentalis". E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Retrieved 2015-01-24.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  5. Giblin, David (Editor) (2015). "Osmorhiza occidentalis". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2015-01-24.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  6. Ethnobotany
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