About Lomatium californicum (Nutt. ex Torr. & A.Gray) Mathias & Constance
Lomatium californicum grows between 3 and 12 decimetres tall (0.98–3.94 ft). It produces coarsely toothed to lobed blue-green leaves that look and taste similar to the leaves of common celery. Its yellow flowers are arranged in broad umbels that measure 1.5–3 decimetres (5.9–11.8 in) in diameter. This species is a traditional Native American food source and medicinal plant, and various parts of it are used by multiple Indigenous groups including the Kawaiisu, Yuki, and Yurok peoples. The Yuki chew the plant while hunting to stop deer from detecting human scents. The Chumash name for the plant is chuchupaste, which translates literally to plant of great virtue, and they use it to cure headaches and stomach pain.
