Stebbins' desertparsley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stebbins' desertparsley |
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Selineae
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L. stebbinsii
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| Lomatium stebbinsii Schlessmann & Constance
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Lomatium stebbinsii, also called Stebbins' desertparsley, is a very special and rare flowering plant. It belongs to the carrot family, just like the carrots you might eat! This plant is quite unique and doesn't grow in many places.
Where Stebbins' Desertparsley Lives
Stebbins' desertparsley is a plant that is endemic to a specific area. This means it only grows naturally in one particular place in the world. For this plant, that place is the central-western part of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.
You can find it only on the hillsides near the border of two counties: Calaveras and Tuolumne. These areas are part of the Stanislaus National Forest. It likes to grow in chaparral areas, which are dry shrublands, and in lower montane coniferous forests. These forests have cone-bearing trees like pines.
What Stebbins' Desertparsley Looks Like
Stebbins' desertparsley is a perennial herb. This means it's a plant that lives for more than two years and doesn't have a woody stem like a tree. It grows from a round, underground tuber, which is like a small, swollen root that stores food.
This plant is quite small, usually growing no taller than about 15 centimeters (about 6 inches). It often doesn't have a main stem above ground. Instead, its leaves and flowers grow directly from the ground. The leaves are a shiny green color and feel smooth because they don't have hairs. Each leaf is divided into many thin, narrow sections.
When it blooms, the plant produces a small cluster of yellow flowers. These flowers grow in a shape called an umbel, which looks like an umbrella with all the flower stalks coming from one point.
Protecting This Rare Plant
Because Stebbins' desertparsley grows in such a small area and is so unique, it is considered a very important plant to protect. The California Native Plant Society has listed it as a critically endangered species. This means it faces a very high risk of disappearing from the wild. Efforts are made to protect its natural habitat and ensure this special plant continues to thrive.
