Lomatium dissectum
| Lomatium dissectum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lomatium dissectum (common name: fernleaf biscuitroot)
Propagation: 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: We have almost no information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in much of the country.
It can be assumed that plants will require a dry to moist but well-drained soil in a sunny position.
This is a taxonomically very difficult genus, many of the species now included in it have at times been included in other genera[1].
Range: Western N. America - southwards from Alberta and British Columbia.
Habitat: Open, often rocky slopes and dry meadows, often on talus[1].
Edibility: Root - cooked[2][3][4][5]. Resinous and balsamic[6]. 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.
The roots have been boiled to make a refreshing and nutritious drink[5].
Young seed sprouts - raw[2][3][5].
Seed[7][5]. No more details are given, though it is most likely used as an aromatic flavouring in cooked foods[K].
Medicinal: Fernleaf biscuitroot was widely employed medicinally by many native North American Indian tribes who considered it to be a universal panacea and used it especially in treating chest problems and skin complaints[6][5]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism, but probably warrants investigation.
The whole plant, but especially the root, is disinfectant, pectoral, salve, stomachic and tonic[5].
The dried root was used in the treatment of rheumatism, stomach complaints, coughs, colds, hay fever, bronchitis, influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis[6][5]. The root was burnt and the smoke inhaled in the treatment of asthma and other chest complaints[5], it was also used as a herbal steam bath for treating chest complaints[5]. The root was used to make a drink that was taken as a tonic to help people in a weakened condition gain weight[5]. A poultice of the peeled and crushed roots has been applied to open cuts, sores, boils, bruises and rheumatic joints[5]. The root has been soaked in water and then used as an antidandruff wash for the hair[5].
An infusion of the leaves and stems has been used as a tonic[5].
The root oil has been applied as a salve to sores and also used as an eye wash in the treatment of trachoma[5].
Usage: The pulverized root has been burnt as an incense[5].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Leptotaenia dissecta. Nutt. Leptotaenia multifida. Nutt.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.