Astragalus gilviflorus

Lomatium macrocarpum

Long-Fruited Parsley

Flower with Stamens and Styles, Side

Buffalograss Provincial Ecological Reserve
09-May-2009

Note the styles have already exserted, while the stamens remain coiled. After the styles have matured, the stamens will emerge and release their pollen. This precocious development of the gynoecium is called protogyny and serves to inhibit self-fertilization.

Note that the Flora of the Great Plains states that the calyx tube is completely adnate to the ovary for our Umbelliferae. However, the calyx tube appears to be separating from the ovary in this specimen.

There is a major problem with the key to the genera in Budd's Flora with regards to this species. Noting that the leaves are much divided, there are two opposite leaves near the base of each caulescent stem, and the flowers are white, there is no path in the key which leads to Lomatium. Erroneous items have been removed from the list below.

Macrocarpum: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora (BF) and Flora of Alberta (FOA) leading to this species.

root NOT bulbous

stems usually with at least one pair of leaves near the base; NOT [stems leafless or with a single leaf at the base]

stems densely pubescent; NOT [stems glabrous]

foliage more or less densely pubescent; NOT [foliage puberulent]

leaves much divided; NOT [leaves divided into a few elongate, linear segments]

bractlets lanceolate, widest at base; NOT [bractlets oblanceolate]

ovary glabrous; NOT [ovary densely puberulent]

fruit glabrous; NOT [fruit densely puberulent]

Lomatium: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora (BF) and Flora of Alberta (FOA) leading to this genus. Note that these items do not all apply to all species of Lomatium found on the Canadian prairies, but they all do apply to this species.

plants less than 3 dm tall, usually 1-2 dm; NOT [plants more than 3 dm tall]

plants NOT with a bluish tinge

foliage NOT spiny

plants scapose; NOT [plants with stem leaves]

lowest leaves (and the upper) compound; NOT [lowest leaves simple]

leaves much divided, with leaflets or segments numerous; NOT [leaves simple or divided into few well-developed leaflets], NOT [leaves once pinnate], NOT [leaves palmate with 5-7 large leaflets], NOT [foliage digitately compound], NOT [leaves usually trifoliolate; leaflets palmate, 10-30 cm wide]

plants lacking axillary bulblets; NOT [plants with axillary bulblets largely replacing flowers]

inflorescence NOT bluish

NOT [flowers in dense globose heads with spiny bracts]

umbel compound; NOT [umbel simple]

umbel many-flowered; NOT [umbel few-flowered]

involucral bracts small, slightly or not dissected; NOT [involucral bracts large, pinnately dissected]

flowers yellow

fruits more than 5 mm long; NOT [fruits 3-4 mm long]

fruit oblong to elliptical; NOT [fruit linear to clavate]

fruit generally 3 times as long as broad or less; NOT [fruit several times longer than broad]

fruits flattened dorsally (at right angles to the styles); NOT [fruits more or less rounded in cross-section]

fruit winged; NOT [fruit wingless]

fruit winged on the marginal nerves only; NOT [fruit conspicuously winged on marginal and dorsal nerves]

fruit NOT spiny; NOT [fruit covered with short, hooked spines]

Umbelliferae: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora leading to this family.

herbs; NOT [shrubs or trees]

plants terrestrial or semiaquatic; NOT [plants aquatic, leaves submerged or floating]

plants NOT with colored milky juice

stems hollow

plants with more than one normal leaf

some or all leaves alternate; NOT [leaves opposite, whorled, or basal]

leaves without stipules, or having glands; NOT [leaves with stipules]

flowers in umbels

parts of flowers mostly in fives; NOT [parts of flowers in twos or fours]

flowers with two floral rings, and with each petal distinct from the others

calyx regular; NOT [calyx irregular, some sepals smaller than others]

stamens 10 or fewer; NOT [stamens usually more than 10]

styles 2; NOT [styles 5]

ovary inferior; NOT [ovary superior]