Cous, Cous Biscuitroot, Cous-root Desert Parsley: Lomatium cous (Synonyms: Lomatium circumdatum, Lomatium montanum)

Also known as biscuit-root, cous is an attractive perennial wildflower with one to several stems ascending 10-35 cm high from a slender, elongate or occasionally short, thick, tuberous root. The herbage of stems and leaves is glabrous. The stems range from very short and difficult to distinguish with all basal leaves to longer with several reduced leaves on the stems. The leaves are pinnately to ternate-pinnately dissected with crowded, ovate to oblong segments from 1-5 mm long and 1-2 mm wide. The blades range from 5.5-9.5 cm long with the petioles from 3-6 cm long and with a wide sheathing base often as much as one-half the length of the petiole (See photo below.). The flower stem generally exceeds the leaves.

Each umbel consists of 10-12 rays of unequal length, the longest measuring from 1-5 cm long. The involucel consists of a ring of distinct, ovate bracts which are equal to or exceed the yellowish flowers. Each umbellet is about 20-flowered. The glabrous fruits are oblong-elliptic in shape and 5-12 mm long and up to 3-5 mm wide with wings narrower than the body. The short stems below individual fruits are 2-4 mm long.

Cous was an important root crop for Native Americans. The roots were dug in early May and eaten raw, boiled, or sun dried and made into flour. The flour was then used to make "brick loaves." The seeds were eaten raw or roasted. Processed Cous was an important item of trade and was important as a substantial winter food supply.

Cous may be found on dry, open and oft rocky slopes and valley bottoms from the foothills to well above timberline in the mountains.

Cous may be found in the Blue Mts. of southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon south to Harney County in eastern Oregon and east across central Idaho to Meagher and Carbon counties in Montana, the mountains of northern Wyoming, northeastern Nevada, and Owyhee County in southwest Idaho.

The photo above shows the distinctive ovate bracts beneath the umbelets of Cous, as seen at Daugherty Springs Meadows in the Wallowa-Whitman N.F........May 30, 1999.

The photo above shows a close-up view downwards onto the upper surface of the umbel of cous as seen along Oregon Highway 206 several miles northwest of Condon, OR..........April 8, 2007.

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Cous as seen along Oregon Highway 218 about one and one-half miles south of Shaniko, Oregon..........March 10, 2015.

Close-up of the broad, tuberous root of cous as seen at the Lawrence Memorial Grasland Preserve in north-centeral Oregon.........May 15, 2010. Native americans used cous as a prized source of starch. Eaten raw, the roots are very palatable and have no apparent taste.

The photo at left shows another example of cous as seen several miles north of Antelope, OR..........April 19, 2007. The photo at right shows cous as seen in rock runnelsalong US Highway 97 several miles west of Shaniko, Oregon.........March 10, 2015.

The photo above shows a young leaf of cous. Other desert parsleys which have leaves similar in appearance to cous include Canby's desert parsley (white umbels) and sheathing desert parsley (generally has at least one stem leaf).

The photo above shows the broad, elliptical to ovate bracts found below an umbellet of cous as seen along Oregon Highway 206 to the northwest of Condon, OR..........April 8, 2007.

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Cous blooming on scablands between Long Prairie and FS Road 4230-050, Ochoco National Forest........April 30, 2016. The large involucel bracts are easily seen in these images.

The photo above shows the broad, elliptical to ovate bracts found below an umbellet of cous as seen along Oregon Highway 206 to the northwest of Condon, OR..........April 8, 2007.