Osmorhiza occidentalis explained

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

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 1200-.^{[2] [3]}

Description

Osmorhiza occidentalis is an erect perennial herb up sometimes exceeding 1m (03feet) 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]

External links

• • • Jepson Manual Treatment of Osmorhiza occidentalis
• USDA Plants Profile for Osmorhiza occidentalis
• Osmorhiza occidentalis U.C. Photo gallery

Notes and References

1. Great Basin Wildflowers, Laird R. Blackwell, 2006, Morris Book Publishing LLC.,
2. Web site: Osmorhiza occidentalis . Sullivan . Steven. K. . 2015 . Wildflower Search . 2015-01-24 .
3. Web site: Osmorhiza occidentalis . 2015 . PLANTS Database . United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service . 2015-01-24.
4. Web site: Osmorhiza occidentalis . Klinkenberg . Brian . 2014 . 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 . 2015-01-24.
5. Web site: Osmorhiza occidentalis . Giblin . David . 2015 . WTU Herbarium Image Collection . Burke Museum, University of Washington . 2024-02-07.
6. http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Osmorhiza+occidentalis Ethnobotany