Lilaeopsis occidentalis
Encyclopedia
Lilaeopsis occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family
known by the common name western grasswort. It is native to the coastline western North America from far southern Alaska
to California
, where it grows in brackish
and salt marsh
es. This is a perennial herb producing a tuft of thready but stiff and erect grasslike leaves up to about 30 centimeters long from a rhizome
network. The minute flowers are located in an umbel
on a short stalk. They yield tiny round fruits only 1 or 2 millimeters wide.
Apiaceae
The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...
known by the common name western grasswort. It is native to the coastline western North America from far southern Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in brackish
Brackish marsh
Brackish marshes develop by salt marshes where a significant freshwater influx dilute the seawater to brackish levels of salinity. This commonly happens upstream salt marshes by estuaries of coastal rivers or near the mouths of coastal rivers with heavy freshwater discharges in the conditions of...
and salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es. This is a perennial herb producing a tuft of thready but stiff and erect grasslike leaves up to about 30 centimeters long from a rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
network. The minute flowers are located in an umbel
Umbel
An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs....
on a short stalk. They yield tiny round fruits only 1 or 2 millimeters wide.