Fumaria parviflora Lam.   Papaveraceae (Poppy Family)   Europe   Fumitory

                                         March Photo

Plant Characteristics: Glabrous, diffusely branched, annual, the stems 2-6 dm. long; lvs. 2-6 cm. long, finely dissected into segms. less than 2 mm. wide, channeled; petals 4, one of the outer pair spurred at base, the inner pair narrow, coherent at apex, keeled or crested on back, 3-4 mm. long, cream with inner purple-tipped; stamens 6, +/- fused in 2 sets opposite outer petals; sepals 0.5-1 mm. long; ovary subspheric, style 1, deciduous, stigma dot-like; fr. 2 mm. in CA, spheric not depressed at apex, apiculate; seed 1, crestless.

Habitat:  Occasional in waste places below 1000 meters, central and southern California counties. (Hickman, Ed. 814).  March-May.

Name:  Latin, fumus, smoke, presumably because of the color of the fresh roots.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 628); or Latin, fumus, smoky, perhaps from the odor of the fresh roots.  (Hickman, Ed. 814).  Latin, parvus, small and Latin, floris, a flower.  (Jaeger 184,103).  Parviflora, small-flowered.

General:  Rare in the study area, having been found in only one location, this being the dirt road leading into Big Canyon from that portion of Eastbluff, near the  Corona del Mar High School football field.  There were several plants along the road and some on the bank above the road.  Flowers from this area are much larger than those described in the texts.  (my comments).      About 15 species of the Old World.  (Munz, Flora So. Calif. 628).      The family Fumariaceae is closely allied to the Papaveraceae with which it is often united, but differs in its watery juice, the irregular fls. with 2 small scale-like sepals, 4 petals in 2 series, one or both of the outer ones spurred or gibbous, stamens 6 in 2 series, the filaments often untied.  (Bailey 428).       F. officinalis is used as a gentle tonic and alternative, and in large doses is seems to have laxative and diuretic properties.  An infusion of the leaves is usually given in a wine glass full every four hours.  (Meyer 48).

Text Ref:  Hickman, Ed. 814; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 628. Roberts 31.

Photo Ref:  March 95 # 24, E; Mar-April 95 #2.

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by John Johnson.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 474.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 3/22/03.

                                            March Photo