''Lomatium cous'' (cous biscuitroot) is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

of the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae () or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium,'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot, or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering p ...

. The root is prized as a food by the tribes of the southern plateau of the Pacific Northwest.

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

collected a specimen in 1806 while on his expedition.Schiemann, Donald Anthony. Wildflowers of Montana, page 174. Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula, 2005. It is called x̣áwš in the

Sahaptin language Sahaptin (), also called Ichishkiin (; Umatilla language, Umatilla: , Yakama dialect, Yakama: ), is one of the two-language Sahaptian languages, Sahaptian branch of the Plateau Penutian languages, Plateau Penutian family spoken in a section of t ...

, and qáamsit (when fresh) and qáaws (when peeled and dried) in the

Nez Perce language Nez Perce, also spelled Nez Percé or called nimipuutímt (alternatively spelled ''nimiipuutímt'', ''niimiipuutímt'', or ''niimi'ipuutímt''), is a Sahaptian language related to the several dialects of Sahaptin (note the spellings ''-ian'' v ...

. It is called shappelell by the Chinooks: "... and a kind of bisquit, which the natives make of roots called by them shappelell."—Meriwether Lewis, Friday, January 9, 1806. From The Definitive Journals of Lewis & Clark, Down the Columbia to Fort Clatsop. Volume 6 of the Nebraska Edition. Gary E. Moulton, Editor. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1990.

References

cous Flora of the Northwestern United States Endemic flora of the United States Plants used in Native American cuisine Taxa named by John Merle Coulter Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Apiaceae-stub