Osmorhiza occidentalis

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Campanulids
Ordo: Apiales

Familia: Apiaceae
Subfamilia: Apioideae
Tribus: Scandiceae
Subtribus: Scandicinae
Genus: Osmorhiza
Species: Osmorhiza occidentalis
Name

Osmorhiza occidentalis (Torr. & A.Gray) Torr., 1858
Synonyms

Glycosma occidentalis Nutt. ex Torr. & A.Gray
Myrrhis ambigua Greene
Myrrhis occidentalis (Nutt. ex Torr. & Gray) Benth. & Hook. fil.
Osmorhiza ambigua (A. Gray) J.M. Coult. & Rose
Washingtonia occidentalis (Nutt. ex Torr. & Gray) Coult. & Rose

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Northern America
USA (California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, Wyoming), Canada (Alberta, British Columbia)

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References

Torrey, J., Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 71 (1858) ("1859")

Links

Hassler, M. 2018. Osmorhiza occidentalis. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2018. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Sep 01. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2018. Osmorhiza occidentalis. Published online. Accessed: Sep 01 2018.
The Plant List 2013. Osmorhiza occidentalis in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Sep 01.
Tropicos.org 2018. Osmorhiza occidentalis. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Sep 01.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Osmorhiza occidentalis in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
English: Western sweetroot

Osmorhiza occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae known by the common name western sweet cicely[1]: 110  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 1,200–3,000 metres (3,900–9,800 ft).[2][3]

Description

Osmorhiza occidentalis is an erect perennial herb up sometimes exceeding 1 metre (3.3 ft) 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]
References

Great Basin Wildflowers, Laird R. Blackwell, 2006, Morris Book Publishing LLC., ISBN 0-7627-3805-7
Sullivan, Steven. K. (2015). "Osmorhiza occidentalis". Wildflower Search. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
"Osmorhiza occidentalis". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
Klinkenberg, Brian (Editor) (2014). "Osmorhiza occidentalis". 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. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
Giblin, David (Editor) (2015). "Osmorhiza occidentalis". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
Ethnobotany