Herb: Biscuitroot


Latin name: Lomatium cous


Synonyms: Lomatium montanum


Family: Umbelliferae



Edible parts of Biscuitroot:

Root - raw or cooked. The root can be dried and ground into a powder and then be mixed with cereal flours or added as a flavouring to soups etc. When dug up in the spring it has a parsnip-like flavour. Seed. No more details are given, though it is most likely used as an aromatic flavouring in cooked foods.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial

Habitat of the herb:

Dry often open rocky slopes and flats, often with sagebrush, especially in foothills and lowland, occasionally above the treeline.

Propagation of Biscuitroot:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed can be rather slow to germinate, when sown in the spring it usually takes at least 12 months to germinate. Giving it a period of cold stratification might reduce this time. The seedlings need to be pricked out into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle, and should be planted out into their permanent positions in the summer. Fresh seed can be sown immediately in situ. Division may be possible in spring or autumn.

Cultivation of the herb:

Dry often open rocky slopes and flats, often with sagebrush, especially in foothills and lowland, occasionally above the treeline.

Medicinal use of Biscuitroot:

None known

Known hazards of Lomatium cous:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.