I went to check out the roots at one of my secret spots, and found an abundance of these bright yellow flowers. Their presence intrigued me. Are they a native species? Are they edible, poisonous, or medicinal? I didn't know really know, so when I came home, I consulted several plant books.
As best I can tell, this plant is called Lomatium Triternatum or Narrow-Leafed Desert-Parsley. It is a native species to this area, and was used for both food and medicine. The roots were ground into flour to make small cakes, and the upper flowers and leaves were sometimes used to treat sore throats and colds.
Does anyone have more information regarding this plant?
Source:
Parish, Roberta, Ray Coupe, and Dennis Lloyd, eds. Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia and the Inland Northwest. Vancouver: Lone Pine Publishing, 1996.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Lomatium Triternatum
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6 comments:
it looks like a space ship!
Now that you mention, it DOES look kind of like a spaceship. I always did think it had sort of an otherworldy apearance.
what does the bottom of the stem look like? Is it fern like?
janet
Janet,
It's not exactly fern-like. It has long, narrow leaves that tend to branch in only twos or threes. If you want, I'll send you some more pictures.
Do you know this plant? Do you know any uses?
Actually Janet, if you look at the picture again, you'll see a group of leaves on the left edge of the page. Those leaves belong to the same plant.
If you click on the photograph, it will take you to my Flickr page. Then click on "All Sizes," and it will show you a larger size.
I was thinking the stem in the earlier stages before the bloom? is ok to eat. The roots also in the early stages is good to harvest. Once cleaned you can either string and hang and grind up or grind up and dry in the sun. It is not one that is used very much or has favor with the people. Just some passing thoughts.....
j
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