Lomatium grayi
Coult.&Rose.
Biscuitroot, Gray's biscuitroot
(c) Andy Bridges, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Andy Bridges
(c) James Gaither, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
(c) ookow, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Root, Seed
Root - cooked. It can be dried and ground into a powder and then be mixed with cereal flours or added to soups etc. Eaten in the winter when there was little other food available. Tender young stems - raw. Seed. No more details are given, though it is most likely used as an aromatic flavouring in cooked foods.
Where to Find It
Western N. America - Washington to N. Idaho.
NORTHERN AMERICA: Canada (British Columbia (Galiano Island and Saltspring Island)), United States (Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, California (northeast), Nevada, Utah)
How to Identify
Lomatium grayi is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). 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.
How to Grow
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. The whole plant is malodorous. 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.
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.
