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Lomatium macrocarpum

Common name:	Bigseed Biscuitroot	Family:	Umbelliferae
Author:	(Nutt.)Coult.& Rose.	Botanical references:	60
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America - British Columbia to California.
Habitat:	Open rocky hills and plains, not extending much into the mountains[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.
	Cogswellia macrocarpa[B,P] Ferula macrocarpa[B,P] L. macrocarpum var. artemisiarum[B,P] L. macrocarpum var. ellipticum[B,P] Peucedanum macrocarpum[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bigseed Biscuitroot [P], Large-fruit Desert-parsley [B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	macrocarpum = large fruited
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Apiales. Renamed to Apiaceae -- Carrot family

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

Root Seed Tea.

Root - raw or cooked[257]. A staple food for a number of native North American Indian tribes[257]. The root is usually peeled before being cooked or eaten[257]. It can be dried and ground into a powder and then used to make cakes etc[105, 161, 183].
Seed - raw or cooked. Very nutritious, they can also be ground into a powder[183] and then used with cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc, or be used as a flavouring in soups etc[257]. The seed is very small, but quite easy to harvest[183, K].
A tea can be made from the leaves, stems and flowers[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Infertility Pectoral Poultice Sedative Tonic.

An infusion of the roots has been used as a general strengthener for a weakened patient[257]. The infusion is also used as a treatment for colds, influenza and bronchitis[257]. The root has been chewed and the juice swallowed as a treatment for sore throats[257].
The root has been eaten by childless couples, especially older people, in order to help them conceive[257].
A poultice made from the boiled root has been used to treat swellings[257].
The leaves have been used as a padding in a child's cradle to encourage it to sleep more[257].

Other Uses

Incense.

The root has been dried then burnt as a ceremonial 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.
Polymorphic[60].
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

[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.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant 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.

[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.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[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.

[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
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
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