Lomatium
Encyclopedia
Lomatium is a genus of 70 to 80 perennial
herb
s native to western North America
.
Several species, including L. cous
, L. geyeri
, and L. macrocarpum
, are sometimes known as biscuit roots for their starch
y edible roots. These are or have been traditional Native American foods, eaten cooked or dried and ground into flour
. Some Native Americans ground Lomatium into mush and shaped into cakes and stored for later use. Their flavor has been compared to celery
, parsnip
, or stale biscuit
s.
Lomatium dissectum
has been used as herbal medicines for cough
and upper respiratory infections, including tuberculosis
.
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s native to western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Several species, including L. cous
Lomatium cous
Lomatium cous is a perennial herb of the family Apiaceae. The root is prized as a food by the tribes of the southern plateau of the Pacific Northwest. It is called x̣áwš in the Sahaptin language, and qáamsit and qáaws in the Nez Perce language....
, L. geyeri
Lomatium geyeri
Lomatium geyeri, Geyer's biscuitroot, is a perennial herb in the family Apiaceae found in the Northwestern United States and British Columbia.-External links:*...
, and L. macrocarpum
Lomatium macrocarpum
Lomatium macrocarpum is a perennial flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names bigseed lomatium, biscuit root or even bigseed biscuitroot. It is native to much of western North America, where it can be found in various types of habitat, including the grasslands of the Great...
, are sometimes known as biscuit roots for their starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
y edible roots. These are or have been traditional Native American foods, eaten cooked or dried and ground into flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
. Some Native Americans ground Lomatium into mush and shaped into cakes and stored for later use. Their flavor has been compared to celery
Celery
Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...
, parsnip
Parsnip
The parsnip is a root vegetable related to the carrot. Parsnips resemble carrots, but are paler than most carrots and have a sweeter taste, especially when cooked. The buttery, slightly spicy, sweet flavor of cooked mature parsnips is reminiscent of butterscotch, honey, and subtle cardamom...
, or stale biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
s.
Lomatium dissectum
Lomatium dissectum
Lomatium dissectum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name fernleaf biscuitroot. It is native to much of western North America, where it grows in varied habitat...
has been used as herbal medicines for cough
Cough
A cough is a sudden and often repetitively occurring reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes...
and upper respiratory infections, including tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
Selected species
|
Lomatium engelmannii Lomatium engelmannii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Engelmann's desertparsley, or Engelmann's lomatium... Lomatium farinosum Lomatium farinosum is a perennial herb of the family Apiaceae, found in the Northwestern United States.... Lomatium foeniculaceum Lomatium foeniculaceum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name desert biscuitroot. It is native to much of western and central North America, where it grows in many types of habitat.-Description:... Lomatium geyeri Lomatium geyeri, Geyer's biscuitroot, is a perennial herb in the family Apiaceae found in the Northwestern United States and British Columbia.-External links:*... Lomatium gormanii Lomatium gormanii is a perennial herb of the family Apiaceae.... Lomatium grayi Lomatium grayi is a perennial herb of the family Apiaceae. It is native to the Western United States, including northeastern California, and grows in dry, rocky areas with a lifespan of 5–7 years.-Description:... Lomatium greenmanii Lomatium greenmanii is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names Greenman's desertparsley and Greenman's biscuitroot. It is endemic to Oregon in the United States, where it is found only in the Wallowa Mountains of Wallowa County.This is a petite perennial... Lomatium howellii Lomatium howellii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Howell's biscuitroot, or Howell's lomatium... Lomatium latilobum Lomatium latilobum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names Canyonlands lomatium and Canyonlands biscuitroot... Lomatium lucidum Lomatium lucidum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name shiny biscuitroot. It is native to coastal mountains and canyons of southern California and Baja California, where it is a member of the chaparral plant community, including recently burned areas... Lomatium macrocarpum Lomatium macrocarpum is a perennial flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names bigseed lomatium, biscuit root or even bigseed biscuitroot. It is native to much of western North America, where it can be found in various types of habitat, including the grasslands of the Great... |
Lomatium marginatum Lomatium marginatum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name butte desertparsley. It is endemic to California, where it is known from mountains, valley, and grassland habitat, including serpentine, in the northern half of the state. It is a perennial herb... Lomatium martindalei Lomatium martindalei is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names Cascade desertparsley and coast range lomatium. It is native to the west coast of North America, from Vancouver Island south to the Klamath Mountains of far northern California... Lomatium mohavense Lomatium mohavense is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Mojave desertparsley. It is native to the southern half California and adjacent sections of Arizona and Baja California, where it is known from several types of mountain and desert habitat, including... Lomatium nevadense Lomatium nevadense is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Nevada biscuitroot. It is native to the western United States and northern Mexico, where it is known from several different habitat types, including sagebrush and woodlands. It is a perennial herb... Lomatium nudicaule Lomatium nudicaule is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names barestem biscuitroot, Indian celery and Indian consumption plant. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Utah, where it is known from several habitat types,... Lomatium observatorium Lomatium observatorium is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Mount Hamilton lomatium. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the mountains of Santa Clara County, including Mount Hamilton near the Lick Observatory. It may also occur in... Lomatium ochocense Lomatium ochocense is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Ochoco lomatium. It is endemic to Oregon, where it is limited to the Ochoco Mountains of Crook County.... Lomatium parryi Lomatium parryi, commonly known as Parry's biscuitroot and Utah desertparsley, is a perennial herb in the carrot family. It is a common herb in high altitude areas of deserts and common in desert National parks, such as Death Valley mountains, in the western part of the United States.The species... Lomatium parvifolium Lomatium parvifolium is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names coastal biscuitroot and small-leaved lomatium. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the Central Coast and central California Coast Ranges... Lomatium piperi Lomatium piperi is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Indian biscuitroot... Lomatium ravenii Lomatium ravenii is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names Lassen parsley and Raven's lomatium... Lomatium repostum Lomatium repostum is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Napa biscuitroot, or Napa lomatium. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the northrthern California Coast Ranges surrounding the northern San Francisco Bay Area... Lomatium rigidum Lomatium rigidum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names Big Pine biscuitroot and stiff lomatium... |
Lomatium roseanum Adobe parsley also goes by the names of adobe lomatium and rose-flowered desert-parsley. It is a very rare plant of the Western U.S., known only from northwestern Nevada and southeastern Oregon, and which may also occur in northeastern California. The largest populations occur on the Sheldon... Lomatium salmoniflorum Lomatium salmoniflorum is a perennial herb native to northwest United States. In February and March one to nineteen umbels bloom, each with up to 300 flowers. Each flower is either strictly staminate or hermaphroditic... Lomatium shevockii Lomatium shevockii is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Owens Peak desertparsley, or Owens Peak lomatium. It is endemic to Kern County, California, where it is known from only two occurrences at Owens Peak, one of the highest points of the Sierra... Lomatium stebbinsii Lomatium stebbinsii is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Stebbins' desertparsley. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California, where it is known only from the slopes near the border between Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. It is a plant of the... Lomatium suksdorfii Lomatium suksdorfii is a perennial herb of the family Apiaceae that grows in Washington and Oregon, United States.It is 50–200 cm tall, glabrous, caulescent, and has a taproot. It flowers from late March to May, with compound umbels of yellow flowers, each umbellule enclosed by thin bracts... Lomatium torreyi Lomatium torreyi is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Sierra biscuitroot. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California, where it grows in the forests of the high mountains.-Description:... Lomatium tracyi Lomatium tracyi is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Tracy's desertparsley, or Tracy's lomatium. It is native to the mountains of northern California and southern Oregon, where it grows in the forests on the slopes, often on serpentine soils. It is a... Lomatium triternatum Lomatium triternatum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name nineleaf biscuitroot. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a hairy perennial herb growing up to a meter... Lomatium utriculatum Lomatium utriculatum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name common lomatium. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, where it grows in many types of habitat including chaparral, and in the Sierra Nevada.-Description:Lomatium... Lomatium vaginatum Lomatium vaginatum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name broadsheath desertparsley. It is native to northern California and adjacent sections of Oregon and Nevada on the Modoc Plateau. It grows in sagebrush, woodland, and other local habitat. This is a... |