Perideridia gairdneri
Encyclopedia
Perideridia gairdneri is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family
known by the common names common yampah and Gardner's yampah. It is native to western North America from southwestern Canada to California
to New Mexico
, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a perennial herb which may approach 1.5 meters in maximum height, its slender, erect stem growing from cylindrical tuber
s measuring up to 8 centimeters long. Leaves near the base of the plant have blades up to 35 centimeters long which are divided into many narrow, subdivided lobes. Leaves higher on the plant are smaller and less divided. The inflorescence
is a compound umbel
of many spherical clusters of small white flowers. These yield ribbed, rounded fruits each a few millimeters long. This was an important food plant, even a staple food
, for many Native American groups
, including the Blackfoot
, Paiute
, and Cheyenne
. The tuberous roots could be eaten like potato
es, roasted, steamed, eaten fresh or dried, made into mush or pinole
, used as flour
and flavoring, and were also used medicinally. The danger of collecting and eating wild members of the carrot family (Apiaceae family, also known as Umbelliferae family) can not be overstressed. The deadly plants water hemlock and poisonous hemlock are in this family and have a similar appearance to the edible species.
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...
known by the common names common yampah and Gardner's yampah. It is native to western North America from southwestern Canada to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a perennial herb which may approach 1.5 meters in maximum height, its slender, erect stem growing from cylindrical tuber
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
s measuring up to 8 centimeters long. Leaves near the base of the plant have blades up to 35 centimeters long which are divided into many narrow, subdivided lobes. Leaves higher on the plant are smaller and less divided. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a compound umbel
Umbel
An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs....
of many spherical clusters of small white flowers. These yield ribbed, rounded fruits each a few millimeters long. This was an important food plant, even a staple food
Staple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...
, for many Native American groups
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, including the Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
, Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
, and Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
. The tuberous roots could be eaten like potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es, roasted, steamed, eaten fresh or dried, made into mush or pinole
Pinole (staple)
Pinole is a Spanish translation of an Aztec word for a coarse flour made from ground toasted maize kernels, often in a mixture with a variety of herbs and ground seeds, which can be eaten by itself or be used as the base for a beverage...
, used as flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
and flavoring, and were also used medicinally. The danger of collecting and eating wild members of the carrot family (Apiaceae family, also known as Umbelliferae family) can not be overstressed. The deadly plants water hemlock and poisonous hemlock are in this family and have a similar appearance to the edible species.