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Native Plant Propagation Guidelines:
forbs

Lomatium nudicaule (barestem desert-parsley)

Category: 
forbs

photo by Dave Polster

Small yellow flowers form compact heads on stalks of unequal lengths. The leaves are not fern-like but are composed of well-defined leaflets. There are no leaves on the flower stalk. Fruits oblong to elliptic, 7-15 mm long. Seeds flattened, with broad wings and distinct ribs. Photo by Dave Polster.

Scientific Name: 

Lomatium nudicaule (Pursh) Coult. & Rose

 

 

Family: 
Apiaceae
English Name: 
barestem desert-parsley
Other Names: 
barestem lomatium, Indian celery, wild celery, Indian consumption plant

Geographical Range and Habitat Requirements

Ecological Setting: 

Dry, open, sparsely treed sites, rocky slopes and grassy bluffs at low to middle elevations (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994).

Soil Texture: 

Coarse free-draining soils (Klinka et al., 1995).

Nutrients: 

Nitrogen-rich soils (Klinka et al., 1995).

Soil Reaction and Salinity: 

Neutral to mildly alkaline.

Moisture Regime: 

Dry to moderately dry (Klinka et al., 1995).

Shade Tolerance: 

Full sun to light shade (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994).

Successional Status: 

Edaphic climax on dry water-shedding sites.

BEC Zone and GOE Community Status: 

Scattered to common on bluffs and rock outcrops within Garry oak ecosystems.

Uses

Site Rehabilitation: 
n/a
Wildlife: 

Important nectar source for many butterflies.

Landscaping: 

Potentially useful ornamental for the dry rock garden.

First Nations: 

Roots dug up in spring before the plants flower and eaten raw, boiled, cooked in pits or dried for later use. Often steam-cooked together with other bulbs of yellow glacier lily (Erythronium grandiflorum) (Parish et al, 1996). Seeds used as an incense, fumigant, and house deodorant, as a flavor for meat and fish, and burned as an insect repellent (Turner, 1998). Young sprouts a popular vegetable. Flowers, leaves, stems, and seeds used for teas, soups, stews, and tobacco (Turner, 1997).

Other Uses: 
n/a

Seed Propagation

Flowering Time: 

April to June

Fruit Ripening Time: 

Late June

Seed Collection Time: 

Late to early July

Crop Intervals: 

Annual

Number of Seeds per Kilogram: 

20,513

Seed Viability: 
n/a
Fruit and Seed Collection and Extraction: 

Collect seed in June or early July when inflorescence is dry and the seeds are dark brown in color. Seed can be stripped from the inflorescence by hand, then cleaned with an air column separator (Skinner, 2004).

Seed Storage: 

Clean seed should be stored in controlled conditions of 5o C and 40% relative humidity (Skinner, 2004).

Fruit/Seed Dormancy and Treatment: 

Extended (6-8 week) cold, moist stratification is required (Skinner, 2004).

Vegetative Propagation

No information was available about this species for vegetative propagation. Vegetative culture is a real challenge and it's best grown from stratified seed (Kruckeberg, 1996).

Outplanting Characteristics and Requirements

Transplanting occurs in april or early May Skinner, 2004).

Seed and Cutting Propagation Techniques

n/a

Additional Information and Photos

For more information and pictures, visit the E-Flora BC website at www.eflora.bc.ca.

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