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Conioselinum pacificum

Common name:	Pacific Hemlock-Parsley	Family:	Umbelliferae
Author:	(Watson.)Coult.&Rose.	Botanical references:	256
Synonyms:	Conioselinum gmelinii ((Cham.&Schlecht.)Steud.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America.
Habitat:	Common on sandy or gravelly beaches, grassy bluffs and headlands, and tidal marshes, mostly along or near the coastline[256].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. chinense var. pacificum[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Pacific Hemlock-parsley [B], Pacific Hemlockparsley [P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Apiales. Renamed to Apiaceae -- Carrot family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Canada(Kwakiutl)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Edible Uses

Root.

Root - cooked[105, 177, 256]. 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[256]. Some reports say that the roots are sweet and tasty, though others say that they have a strong flavour and can cause diarrhoea[256]. If trying out this plant as a food then caution is advised[256].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antirheumatic; Tonic.

The leaves have been used to make a soothing tonic drink in the treatment of colds and sore throats[257]. They have also been used in steam baths to treat rheumatism and general weakness[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

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[257].

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.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Conioselinum gmelinii (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[256] Turner. N. J. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples UBC Press. Vancouver. 1995 ISBN 0-7748-0533-1
Excellent little handbook about the native food plants of Western Canada. Good descriptions of the plants and their uses with colour photos of most plants.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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