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nineleaf biscuitroot

Lomatium triternatum

Photo by DerrickLK
Published on Project Noah
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42.1243, -114.6

Field Notes

Description:

Lomatium triternatum is a herb native to western North America. Common names for this plant include nineleaf biscuitroot or nineleaf desertparsley. It is a perennial herb and received the name "nineleaf" from the three leaflets that each have three more divisions. The umbel inflorescence is characteristic of the carrot family.

Habitat:

Found growing with big sagebrush, bitterbrush, lupine and various bluegrass and wheatgrass species.

Notes:

Nineleaf biscuitroot belongs in the carrot family (Apiaceae). Native Americans ate the root and used the leaves and seeds as spices.

Reference Links:

Nineleaf Biscuitroot (Lomatium triternatum) - Information on Nineleaf Biscuitro…, Lomatium triternatum

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (3)
DerrickLK
Thanks for the info drP! I had a hunch they were doing something along that line. You can see on the left side of the plant that the lowest cluster of seeds are all taken (I'm assuming by the ants).
drP
I love the name biscuitroot--sounds tasty! I don't know about this plant, but I know that ants harvest seeds from jimson weed and other plants, and these plants depend on the ants for seed dispersal.
DerrickLK
In the second photo you can see harvester ants on the seeds. Anybody know what they are doing?

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Flowers of North America
Mission
The Pacific Northwest Bioregion
Mission
Nature in Yellow
Mission
Native Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest
Mission
Wildlife of Idaho

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Photographed
PublishedJune 22, 2012

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