Osmorhiza occidentalis (Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray) Torr.
western sweet-cicely (western sweetroot)
Apiaceae
Introduction to Vascular Plants
western sweet-cicely (western sweetroot)
Apiaceae
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
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.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration 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
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)
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 |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1675 | 223 | 2115 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
39 | 0 | 98 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
203 | 44 | 315 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 1 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
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) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and 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.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Glycosma occidentalis Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray
Osmorhiza ambigua (A. Gray) J.M. Coult. & Rose