Lomatium cous
Encyclopedia
Lomatium cous is a perennial herb
of the family Apiaceae
. The root is prized as a food by the tribes of the southern plateau of the Pacific Northwest. It is called x̣áwš in the Sahaptin language
, and qáamsit (when fresh) and qáaws (when peeled and dried) in the Nez Perce language
.
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
of the family Apiaceae
Apiaceae
The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...
. The root is prized as a food by the tribes of the southern plateau of the Pacific Northwest. It is called x̣áwš in the Sahaptin language
Sahaptin language
Sahaptin , Sħáptənəxw, is a Plateau Penutian language of the Sahaptian branch spoken in a section of the northwestern plateau along the Columbia River and its tributaries in southern Washington, northern Oregon, and southwestern Idaho....
, and qáamsit (when fresh) and qáaws (when peeled and dried) in the Nez Perce language
Nez Perce language
Nez Perce , also spelled Nez Percé, is a Sahaptian language related to the several dialects of Sahaptin . The Sahaptian sub-family is one of the branches of the Plateau Penutian family...
.