Andy,

One of my favorites of my favorite genus! However, Hitchcock & Cronquist to
the contrary, Lomatium "gormanii" is actually two species, L. gormanii and
L. piperi. Your plant might have been either, but I suspect L. piperi is
perhaps more likely that far north.

Gene.

PS: The Yakama elder root harvesters call L. gormanii "sasamIt'a" (and
disdain to eat it) and L. piperi "mAm at n" (which is a favorite).

At 02:34 PM 1/1/98 -0800, you wrote:
>Tweets,
>
>Susan and I took a New Years hike up the south flank of Rattlesnake Ridge
>behind our home north of Wapato WA. Part way up, on a steep, south-facing
>lithosol, she found a small patch of "salt and pepper" lomatium in bloom
>(Lomatium gormanii).The first spring wildflower of 1998? On nearby slopes
>not quite-so steep, there were no salt and pepper out. We reversed our
>binoculars to get close-up views of these exquisite little blooms. What
>will happen to them when more typical winter weather returns?
>
>This is the earliest we've ever seen this very early flowering plant in
>bloom; my previous earliest date was 18 January on the same slopes. El
>Nino? The weather east of the Cascades so far this winter has been mostly
>mild and unsettled with almost no snow, with only a few periods of the
>typical somber low clouds and freezing fogs.
>
>Birds were few: Red-tailed Hawk (1), Horned Lark (3) and Common Raven (1).
>
>Now to catch some of the Rose Bowl.
>
>Happy New Year to all.
>
>Andy Stepniewski
>Wapato WA
>
>
>