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Lomatium dissectum
| Common name: |
Fernleaf Biscuitroot |
Family: |
Umbelliferae |
| Author: |
(Nutt.)Matthias.&Constance. |
Botanical references: |
60 |
| Synonyms: |
Leptotaenia multifida (Nutt.), Leptotaenia dissecta (Nutt.) |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Western N. America - southwards from Alberta and British Columbia. |
| Habitat: |
Open, often rocky slopes and dry meadows, often on talus[60]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
4 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Ferula multifida[G]
L. dissectum var. dissectum[B,C,P]
L. dissectum var. eatonii[B,P]
L. dissectum var. multifidum[B,C,CAL,P]
Leptotaenia dissectum[G]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Carrotleaf Biscuitroot [P], Chocolate-tips [B], Cough Root [H], Fernleaf Biscuitroot [P], Fernleaf Buscuitroot [P], Fernleaf Lomatium [H], Leptotaenia [S], Lomatium [S], Lomatium, Lepotaenia [S], Lomatium, Leptotaenia [S], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
dissectum = finely cut;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Apiales. Renamed to Apiaceae -- Carrot family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Na; Us(Blackfoot); Us(Shoshone)
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 4/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires dry or moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Leaves; Root; Seed.
Root - cooked[105, 177, 183, 257]. Resinous and balsamic[207]. 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[257].
Young seed sprouts - raw[105, 177, 257].
Seed[106, 257]. No more details are given, though it is most likely used as
an aromatic flavouring in cooked foods[K].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antidandruff; Disinfectant; Ophthalmic; Pectoral; Poultice; Salve; Stomachic; Tonic.
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[207, 257].
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[257].
The dried root was used in the treatment of rheumatism, stomach complaints,
coughs, colds, hay fever, bronchitis, influenza, pneumonia and
tuberculosis[207, 257]. The root was burnt and the smoke inhaled in the
treatment of asthma and other chest complaints[257], it was also used as a
herbal steam bath for treating chest complaints[257]. The root was used to
make a drink that was taken as a tonic to help people in a weakened condition
gain weight[257]. A poultice of the peeled and crushed roots has been applied
to open cuts, sores, boils, bruises and rheumatic joints[257]. The root has
been soaked in water and then used as an antidandruff wash for the hair[257].
An infusion of the leaves and stems has been used as a tonic[257].
The root oil has been applied as a salve to sores and also used as an eye
wash in the treatment of trachoma[257].
Other Uses
Incense.
The pulverized root has been burnt as an incense[257].
Cultivation details
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[60].
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.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [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.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] SW USA Dist. Maps
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Leptotaenia multifida (a possible synonym).
References for Lomatium dissectum var. dissectum (a possible synonym).
References for Lomatium dissectum var. multifidum (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.
[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.
[106] Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Interesting reading but short on detail.
[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.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.
[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
Main Search Page
Bibliography
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
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Lomatium+dissectum
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Lomatium+dissectum
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