Spring Parsley (3)
These Spring Parsleys are all early bloomers relative to their environment and very similar in appearance with fleshy, pale grey-green leaves divided into lobed leaflets and branched flower heads surrounded by papery bracts. Flowers are dull-white or purplish with long, purple-tipped stamens. These were identified using Hartman & Nesom's key.
Constance’s Spring Parsley
Vesper constancei (Cymopterus constancei)
Family:
Parsley (Apiaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
April 23, 2005
Location:
Almont Triangle, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry, gravelly slopes
Grows with flower stems up to 5" long. Leaves are divided into 3-5 pairs of lobed leaflets. The flower head is made up of 1 to 8 umbels of tiny flowers which elongate and spread out when fruiting. Papery bractlets are narrower than V. bulbosus and have three parallel veins of the same length. Fruits are up to ½" long with five tan to purplish wings.
Mountain Spring Parsley
Vesper montanus (Cymopterus montanus)
Family:
Parsley (Apiaceae)
AKA:
Montana Wavewing
Photo taken on:
April 3, 2015
Location:
Plaza Blanca, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry, gravelly slopes
Grows low to the ground with flower stems shorter than the leaves. Leaves are divided into 4-5 pairs of leaflets. The flower head is made up of 3 to 7 clusters (umbels) of tiny flowers which remain tightly clustered even when fruiting. Fruits are up to ¾" long with 5 smooth wings. Despite its common name it does not grow in as high elevations, to 7,300ft, as the other Spring Parsleys on this page.
Bulbous Spring Parsley
Vesper bulbosus (Cymopterus bulbosus)
Family:
Parsley (Apiaceae)
AKA:
Spring Biscuitroot
Photo taken on:
March 20, 2015
Location:
Plaza Blanca, Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat:
Dry, gravelly slopes
Grows with flower stems up to 5" long. Leaves are divided into 3-6 pairs of leaflets. The flower head is made up of 1 to 8 umbels of tiny flowers which elongate and spread out when fruiting. Papery bractlets are broader than V. constancei and have one central vein and sometimes a pair of shorter parallel veins. Fruits are less than ½" long with five wings.
