For most of the year, the plant is not visible; the brown tops often are blown off or easily crushed, but it lies dormant underground for the next spring.

Uniquely, they are dorsally flattened and winged, which can be papery or corky, but help the seed to disperse further on the wind.

[1] Most lomatiums are desert species or grow on bluffs or mountain slopes where water is limited for most of the year.

It grows in a variety of habitats throughout western North America, from coastal bluffs to piles of basalt rock.

Because the genus is so difficult to identify, but has great genetic diversity, new species are still being found today such as L.

These are or have been traditional Native American foods, eaten cooked or dried and ground into flour.