General: Widewing Springparsley (Cymopterus purpurascens) is a perennial forb odd leaves that are highly dissected and hug the ground. The plant flowers in the spring, and the inflorescence is a compound umbel where each umbel surrounded by white, papery bracts. The bracts streaked with green or red color. The flowers are purplish.

Widewing Springparsley is an uncommon component of vegetation communities on gravel and scree slopes in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub and Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) life zones. Around Las Vegas, look for this species up in the Spring Mountains and in the Sheep Range (Desert National Wildlife Range).

Family: Carrot or Parsley (Apiaceae).

Other Names:

Plant Form: Perennial forb.

Height: To a few inches high.

Stems: None.

Leaves: Broad, flat, highly dissected, and generally pressed against the ground. Petiole to about 2 inches; blade to about 2.5 inches, oblong, once or twice pinnately lobed, glaucous, somewhat fleshy.

Flowers: Blooms in the spring. Inflorescence: compound umbel, each umbel surrounded by white, papery bracts. Flowers purplish. Bracts streaked with green or red color.

Seeds:

Habitat: Mountain slopes, gravel to coarse scree slopes.

Elevation: To about 4,000 to 7,000 feet.

Distribution: Throughout the southwestern U.S. from Oregon to New Mexico.

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