Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Osmorhiza occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name western sweetroot. It is native to much of western North America, where it grows in wooded and forested areas. It is an erect perennial herb up sometimes exceeding one meter tall. 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. The flower cluster 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. Many Native American groups used this plant for a great variety of medicinal purposes.

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

2 - 4 ft Tall

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Slow

Calscape icon
Color

Yellow

Flowering season

Spring

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Soil description

Adaptable, tolerant of sand, loam and clay.

Propagation

For propagating by seed: 2 mos. stratification (Emery and Frey 1971).

Plant communities

Lodgepole Forest, Red Fir Forest, Yellow Pine Forest

Caterpillars
Butterflies

Butterflies and moths supported

1 confirmed and 1 likely

Confirmed Likely

Agonopterix rosaciliella

Black Swallowtail

Papilio polyxenes