Lomatium gayeri
| Lomatium gayeri | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Lomatium gayeri (common name: 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 - Washington and British Columbia.
Habitat: Open slopes and flats, foothills and lowlands to moderate elevations[1].
Edibility: Root - raw or cooked[2][3]. A celery flavour[2]. It can be dried and ground into a powder and then be mixed with cereal flours or added to soups etc[4][5][6]. The flour can also be mixed with water, flattened into cakes and sun-dried or baked. Used on journeys, the taste is somewhat like stale biscuits[2].
Seed[7]. No more details are given, though it is most likely used as an aromatic flavouring in cooked foods[K].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.