Osmorhiza longistylis

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Osmorhiza
Species:
O. longistylis
Binomial name
Osmorhiza longistylis
(Torr.) DC.

Osmorhiza longistylis, commonly called long-styled sweet-cicely[2] or longstyle sweetroot,[3] is an herbaceous plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to North America, where it is found from the Rocky Mountains east to the Atlantic Coast, in Canada and the United States.[4] Its natural habitat is in forests with fertile soil, often in areas of loam and dappled sunlight.[5][6] It can be found in areas of high or average quality natural communities,[6] and does not tolerate intense disturbance.

It is an herbaceous perennial that grows to two and a half feet tall. It produces umbels of small white flowers in late spring and early summer. The crushed plant has a distinct scent of anise.[6]

Uses

The roots have occasionally been used as a culinary substitute for anise.[7] This species was also used historically by Native Americans as a medicinal herb.[8]

Ecology

Small to medium-sized bees, wasps, flies, and beetles feed on the nectar and pollen of the flowers. The caterpillars of the butterfly Papilio polyxenes (Black Swallowtail) feed on the foliage.[9]

Similar species

O. longistylis is very similar in appearance to Osmorhiza claytonii (sweet cicely) with a similar geographic range. The roots of O. longistylis have a stronger anise smell than those of O. claytonii, and the styles of the flowers protrude beyond the petals, while the styles of O. claytonii are shorter than the petals.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Osmorhiza longistylis New England Wildflower Society
  3. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Osmorhiza longistylis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Osmorhiza longistylis". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  5. ↑ Alan Weakley (2015). "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
  6. 1 2 3 Aniseroot Osmorhiza longistylis IllinoisWildflowers
  7. ↑ Yatskievych, George (2006). Flora of Missouri, Volume 2. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. p. 94.
  8. ↑ University of Michigan - Dearborn (OSLO): Native American Ethnobotany — Osmorhiza longistylis
  9. ↑ "HOSTS - The Hostplants and Caterpillars Database at the Natural History Museum". www.nhm.ac.uk.
  10. ↑ "Sweet Cicely (Anise Root)". Missouri Department of Conservation.
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