Lomatium dasycarpum
woollyfruit desertparsley
Western United States (California) and northwestern Mexico
Overview
Lomatium dasycarpum is a low-growing perennial in the carrot family that arises from a deep taproot, forming a basal rosette of finely dissected, greyish, soft-hairy leaves 4-12 inches (10-30 cm) long. In spring it sends up flower stalks to about 4-16 inches (10-40 cm) bearing flat-topped compound umbels of many tiny white to cream flowers, occasionally tinged pink or purple. The fruits are flattened, winged, and densely woolly, the source of the common name. After seed sets in early summer, the foliage withers and the plant goes dormant underground through the dry season. It grows on dry, open slopes, grasslands, and rocky ridges in California and the surrounding region, where summers are hot and rainless. The flowers feed native bees and other insects, and the foliage is a larval food for the anise swallowtail butterfly. Plants are slow to establish from seed and resent transplanting because of the long taproot. The species is dormant and leafless for much of summer and fall, so it contributes little structure outside spring. It tolerates drought, poor soils, and seasonal heat once established.
Native Range
Native to California and adjacent parts of the western United States and Baja California, growing on dry grassy slopes, open woodland, chaparral edges, and rocky ridges below about 5,000 feet (1,500 m).Suggested Uses
Used in native plant gardens, rock gardens, and restoration of dry grassland and chaparral, spaced 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) apart. Suits seasonally dry, low-water designs and butterfly plantings as a swallowtail host. Pairs with later plants that mask its summer dormancy.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 1'4"
Width/Spread8" - 1'
Colors
Foliage Colors
Bloom Information
Blooms in spring, mainly March to May depending on elevation and rainfall, with the flat umbels opening above the foliage. Flowering lasts several weeks before seed sets in early summer. The plant then yellows and enters summer dormancy.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
white to creamFoliage Description
grey-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight