Conioselinum pacificum
| Conioselinum pacificum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Conioselinum pacificum (common name: pacific hemlock-parsley)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe if possible. Sow stored seed in early spring. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick out the young seedlings into individual pots and plant them out once they are 20cm or more tall.
Division of the rootstock in the spring. Divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. However, judging by its native range it is likely to be hardy in all parts of the country and, judging by its native habitat, is likely to require a well-drained soil and a sunny position. It is also likely to be tolerant of saline soils[K].
One report says that the correct name for this species is C. gmelinii[1].
Range: Western N. America.
Habitat: Common on sandy or gravelly beaches, grassy bluffs and headlands, and tidal marshes, mostly along or near the coastline[2].
Edibility: Root - cooked[3][4][2]. Native North American Indians would mark plants in the summer and then harvest them in the spring before the new shoots emerged. The plant produces a root cluster, only the larger roots were removed, the smaller ones being left in the ground to continue growing. The roots were steamed for some hours before being eaten[2]. Some reports say that the roots are sweet and tasty, though others say that they have a strong flavour and can cause diarrhoea[2]. If trying out this plant as a food then caution is advised[2].
Medicinal: The leaves have been used to make a soothing tonic drink in the treatment of colds and sore throats[1]. They have also been used in steam baths to treat rheumatism and general weakness[1].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: C. gmelinii. (Cham.&Schlecht.)Steud.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.