Herb: Biscuitroot


Latin name: Lomatium grayi


Family: Umbelliferae



Edible parts of Biscuitroot:

Root - cooked. It can be dried and ground into a powder and then be mixed with cereal flours or added to soups etc. Eaten in the winter when there was little other food available. Tender young stems - raw. 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


Height:
50 cm
(1 foot)

Habitat of the herb:

Dry, open, often rocky places from the foothills and lowlands to moderate elevations in the mountains.

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, open, often rocky places from the foothills and lowlands to moderate elevations in the mountains.

Medicinal use of Biscuitroot:

None known

Known hazards of Lomatium grayi:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.