Lomatium parryi

(S. Wats.) J. F. Macbr.

Parry's biscuit root, Utah desert parsley

Apiaceae Edible: Plant 571 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Lomatium parryi, commonly known as Parry's biscuitroot and Utah desertparsley, is a perennial herb in the carrot family. It is a common herb in high altitude areas of deserts and common in desert national parks, such as the mountains surrounding Death Valley, in the western part of the United States. The species epithet parryi honors Charles Christopher Parry (1823–1890), the first official botanist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture who also served during the Union Pacific Eastern Division's 1867 survey of the American Southwest. During his survey expeditions, he gathered various species previously unknown to the scientific community.

Description

A herb with a taproot. It grows 20-40 cm tall. The leaves near the base are hairy and divided into many small segments. The flowers are yellow and in a rounded head 1-2 cm across. The fruit are flat and have side wings. This splits into two halves with one seed each.

Edible Uses

Lomatium parryi is a plant related to celery and carrots within the Apaceae family whose roots were harvested and consumed by early Native Americans. Lomatium parryi serves as a larval host plant for certain Papilio indra subspecies in their natural habitats and can be a food source in laboratory settings for rearing P. indra subspecies.