E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Osmorhiza occidentalis (Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray) Torr.
western sweet-cicely (western sweetroot)
Apiaceae

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Adolf Ceska  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #14207)

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Distribution of Osmorhiza occidentalis
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from a well-developed taproot with a strong licorice odor, below a slightly branched stem-base; stems stout, 0.4-1.2 m tall, clustered, glabrous.
Leaves:
Basal leaves clustered on long stalks; stem leaves several on shorter stalks, divided 1-3 times; leaflets lance-shaped and toothed, 2-10 cm long, 0.5-5 cm wide.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of loose compound umbels; flowers yellow, stalks short at flowering, becoming longer at maturity; involucels lacking.
Fruits:
Linear-oblong, blunt at the base, glabrous, 12-20 mm long, narrowing to a short beaklike tip.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Mesic to dry forest opening and rocky slopes in the montane zone; infrequent in extreme SC and SE BC; E to SW AB and S to CO and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Osmorhiza occidentalis

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 223 1675 2115
Slope Gradient (%) 0 39 98
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		44 203 315
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		1 4 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 33
Modal BEC Zone Class
 ESSF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: ESSF(20), ICH(2), MS(5)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Glycosma occidentalis Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray
Osmorhiza ambigua (A. Gray) J.M. Coult. & Rose

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links


Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. 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. [Accessed: 2024-05-12 10:15:28 PM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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