My edible "alpines"

[Stephenb]

Is there a way of pm'ing our Russian members exclusively?

Not easily, Stephen , I'm afraid. Since so many folk do not make their locations known and their email address need not necessarily denote a Russian origin, it is hard to pinpoint exactly .... I will send you a list of those I know.

Thanks for the pm!

[Maggi Young]

Been catching up on Jim McK's blog........ he has an interest in onions, too.... mind you, that chap is a real foodie,  so that is no surprise!  http://mcwort.blogspot.com/2009/02/scallions-green-onions-spring-onions.html

[Onion]

Stephen in Gatersleben Dr. habil. PETER HANELT, was the man for the Allium. Her retired in 1995. I will look at the weekend if I can find some literature for you.

[fermi de Sousa]

A reliable "onion" for the flower garden or the vegie plot is "Garlic Chives" Allium tuberosum,

in flower now in the Southern Hemisphere


cheers
fermi

[Stephenb]

Lomatiums - Biscuit Roots or Desert Parsley

Some years ago, I came across an article about a genus of Umbellifers growing in western North America which I hadn’t come across before. That the 80-odd Lomatium species)  to be found in western North America had been used as a staple wild collected vegetable didn’t exactly decrease my interest and I set out to try to find seed. Luckily, the NARGS seed list listed several species and those were duly ordered and sowed. I hadn’t really expected a plant going under the name of Desert Parsley to survive the damp cool summer conditions that I could offer, but I’ve had success with 4 of the 10+ species I’ve tried so far.  (NB! There is no relationship to the Southern Hemisphere genus Lomatia)

The common names of Desert Parsley and Biscuit Root both are references to the food value of these plants. At least over part of their range, it seems that Lomatiums were equally important nutritionally as fish and game. That it was the Native American women who were responsible for their harvest and the fact that the Lomatium hunt isn’t exactly as exciting TV as the “male” salmon or moose hunt has probably resulted in this being little known!     

Why biscuit roots? The roots were usually baked (earth oven) and pounded into a flour, from which a typically 3 ft long biscuit (no, they didn’t use chocolate!) was baked with a hole in the centre so that it could be easily hung on your saddle!
Desert Parsley? The young leaves in the spring were a good source of vitamin C.

Lomatiums aren’t in the short term going to replace parnips and carrots in the vegetable garden as, under ideal conditions, it takes some 4 years to produce a sizable root. Nevertheless, it’s a interesting perennial parsley.

I’ve seen Lomatiums only once in a botanical garden in Europe – L. laevigatum (Slickrock biscuitroot) in the Edinburgh Botanics and a search on this site didn’t turn up more than a couple of brief mentions.

The two I’ve had longest are

L. nudicaule (Barestem Biscuitroot or Pestle Parsnip). This one seems to be happiest as it flowers annually and self-seeds. It’s also quite an attractive plant with its blue-green foliage in spring.

L. utriculatum (Common Lomatium). This has only flowered a couple of times and not for the last few years. I’m not 100% convinced of its identification, so if anyone has an opinion from the pictures I’ll post, please let me know. The epithet utriculatum means small bladders I believe – where are these to be found on the plant?

(I’ve had both since 2004 and they both have a similar range from California to British Columbia)

L. californicum (California Lomatium). This one has gone through one winter so far and is growing quite vigorously (for a Lomatium).

This year I have small plants of L. cous (one of the most important species used for food) and L. foeniculaceum, so I have fingers crossed that they will like what I give them (I add a lot of sand to the soil for good drainage).

I’m always looking for more.  If any of you come across other species than those noted here, please let me know…

I’ll post a few pictures of nudicaule, californicum and utriculatum later.

[Stephenb]

Now some pictures of Lomatium nudicaule, a long way from home here in mid-Norway. This is the Lomatium that has grown best in my garden. Incidentally, the immature seeds were also used medicinally by Native Americans - chewed for sore throats and colds or made into a herbal tea.

In the second last picture, Salvia sclarea can be seen in the background.

[Stephenb]

Lomatium californicum

[Ragged Robin]

Is Lomatium californicum related to flat leaf parsley Stephen?

[Stephenb]

Yes, Parsley in general (biannual) and Lomatium (Perennial) are both in the Apiaceae family (Umbellifers) along with some 3,000 other species, but I don't think they're very closely related. But I see the resemblance...

[Stephenb]

This is the last batch, showing what I think is Lomatium utriculatum (although the leaves seem to be finer than on pictures I've found on the net):

[cohan]

This is the last batch, showing what I think is Lomatium utriculatum (although the leaves seem to be finer than on pictures I've found on the net):

Late reply...lol-- Stephen, have you checked Alplains listing? they have some Lomatium and other apiaceae, such as Cymopterus...

[Stephenb]

So long ago, I'd forgotten I'd posted these Lomatium pictures No, I hadn't looked at Alplains, so thanks for that! I've only just become aware of Cymopterus as an edible genus - will definitely be putting in an order next winter!

[cohan]

Edible is a bonus, these plants are just plain cool

[Ragged Robin]

It's the salad season - looking for edible flowers in May

[Stephenb]

It's the salad season - looking for edible flowers in May

Will this one do? - very common in most old gardens in this area: