Columbia Desert Parsley

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Over eighty different Desert Parsley, genus Lomatium, grow in the Western United States. Columbia Desert Parsley (Lomatium columbianum) has a range limited to central Oregon and Washington in approximation to the Columbia River.

While most Lomatium species are known by their yellow or cream colored flowered, the Columbia Desert Parsley is known for its purple flowers.

It's a member of the Carrot family, Apiaceae, and one of the earliest blooming flowers in the region. Like many, but not all members of the carrot family, the roots are edible. Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), for example also belongs to the Apiaceae family, and the name suggests its toxicity.

© 2009 Patricia A. Michaels