Cymopterus is a genus of perennial plants in the family Apiaceae native to western North America. They are commonly known as the spring parsleysCymopterus. USDA PLANTS. and are edible. They are mostly stemless, taprooted perennial herbs with leaves at ground level and flowering scapes bearing yellow, white, or purple flowers.Cymopterus. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
Taxonomy The taxonomy of this genus was described as confused in 2004, even after many decades of study.Sun, F. and S. R. Downie. (2004). A molecular systematic investigation of Cymopterus and its allies (Apiaceae) based on phylogenetic analyses of nuclear (ITS) and plastid (rps16 intron) DNA sequences. South African Journal of Botany 70(3), 407-16. Authors have organized it in different ways, sometimes including several closely related Apiaceae genera within it. Genera recently segregated from Cymopterus include Vesper, six plants with morphological characters that are well-defined and easily separated from Cymopterus; the group has been separated before, but was reintegrated during repeated reorganizations of the genus.Hartman, R. L. and G. L. Nesom. (2012). Taxonomy of the genus Vesper (Apiaceae). Phytoneuron 94 1-9. The number of accepted species has varied between about 50 to about 35.Downie, S. R., et al. (2002). Polyphyly of the spring-parsleys (Cymopterus): molecular and morphological evidence suggests complex relationships among the perennial endemic genera of western North American Apiaceae. Canadian Journal of Botany 80(12), 1295-1324.
The genus was named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1819.
Species
Plants of the World Online lists 42 accepted species:
Cymopterus aboriginum – Indian parsnip, Indian springparsley Cymopterus alpinus Cymopterus basalticus – basalt springparsley Cymopterus beckii – featherleaf springparsley Cymopterus cinerarius – gray springparsley Cymopterus corrugatus Cymopterus coulteri Cymopterus crawfordensis Cymopterus davidsonii Cymopterus davisii – Davis' springparsley Cymopterus deserticola – desert springparsley Cymopterus douglassii – Douglass' springparsley Cymopterus duchesnensis – Duchesne biscuitroot, Uinta Basin springparsley Cymopterus evertii – Evert's springparsley Cymopterus gilmanii – Gilman's springparsley Cymopterus glaucus – smooth springparsley, waxy springparsley Cymopterus globosus – globe springparsley Cymopterus glomeratus – plains springparsley Cymopterus goodrichii – Goodrich's springparsley, Toiyabe springparsley Cymopterus hendersonii Cymopterus ibapensis Cymopterus jonesii – Jones' springparsley Cymopterus lapidosus Cymopterus lemmonii Cymopterus longilobus Cymopterus longipes – longstalk springparsley, sprawling springparsley Cymopterus longiradiatus Cymopterus macdougalii Cymopterus megacephalus – largeleaf springparsley Cymopterus minimus – Cedar Breaks springparsley Cymopterus newberryi – sweetroot springparsley, sticky springparsley Cymopterus nivalis – snowline springparsley, Elko springparsley Cymopterus panamintensis – Panamint springparsley Cymopterus petraeus Cymopterus purpureus – purple springparsley, Colorado Plateau springparsley, variable springparsley Cymopterus ripleyi – Ripley's springparsley Cymopterus rosei – Rose's springparsley Cymopterus sessiliflorus Cymopterus spellenbergii Cymopterus terebinthinus – turpentine wavewing Cymopterus trotteri Cymopterus williamsii – Williams' springparsley
Formerly included here Oreoxis bakeri (as Cymopterus bakeri) Oreoxis humilis (as Cymopterus humilis) Vesper multinervatus (as Cymopterus multinervatus) Vesper purpurascens (as Cymopterus purpurascens)
References
Further reading Sun, F. J. and S. R. Downie. (2010). Phylogenetic relationships among the perennial, endemic Apiaceae subfamily Apioideae of western North America: additional data from the cpDNA trnF-trnL-trnT region continue to support a highly polyphyletic Cymopterus. Plant Diversity and Evolution 128(1-2), 151-72.