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Longstyle Sweetroot, Sweet Anise, Aniseroot - Osmorhiza longistylis


Family: Apiaceae – Carrot family Genus Common Name: Sweetroot Native Status: Native
Osmorhiza longistylis - Longstyle Sweetroot, Sweet Anise, Aniseroot. The leaves and stem when crushed will have a slight licorice smell; the root is anise-scented. This identification vs the very simily O. claytonii (Sweet Cicely) is based on the style of the flower, which is significantly longer than the 5 white petals. In O. claytonii, according to Wildflowers Of Tennessee, The Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians the style is shorter than the petals.
Distribution of Osmorhiza longistylis in the United States and Canada:
USDA Plants Distribution Map
Blue=Native; Grey=Introduced

Map from USDA Plants Database:
USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 09 Sep 2010). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

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Site: The Pocket, Walker County, GA Date: 2009-April-17Photographer: Gerald C. Williamson
1/60 f/8 ISO200
The tiny white flowers of Longstyle Sweetroot are held in compound umbels above serrated, frequenly lobed ovate leaves.
Osmorhiza longistylis

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All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2010
Photographs Copyrighted by the named photographer


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