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Common Name:

General Information

Lomatium gormanii is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.15 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Western N. America - Washington to N. California.

Habitat

Open slopes and scablands in foothills, valleys and plains, often with sagebrush[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.15 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

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.
This is a taxonomically very difficult genus, many of the species now included in it have at times been included in other genera[].

Edible Uses

Root - dried and ground into a powder that can be used as a thickener in soups etc or can be added to cereal flours for making bread etc[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

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.