Biscuitroot, Cous biscuitroot
Lomatium cous

Family: Apiaceae or Umbelliferae

What it is like

Lomatium cous is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in) by 0.1 m (0ft 4in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 0.1

Where it is found

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

Western N. America.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Root - raw or cooked. It is usually peeled before being eaten. 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.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 1

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

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. Polymorphic. This is a taxonomically very difficult genus, many of the species now included in it have at times been included in other genera. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread. The root pattern is a tap root similar to a carrot going directly down.

Propagating it: 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.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 5-12

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Desert parsley, Cous, Biscuitroot

Synonyms

L. montanum. Coult.&Rose.