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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE CARROT FAMILY | |||||||||
| The members of the carrot family are
found mainly in temperate regions, like Canada and the central United States.
There are features that most of the carrots have in common. For example,
most are aromatic herbs. The leaves are usually divided into several parts
and the dry fruit splits into two parts when the seeds are mature. Some plants you may know and eat come from the carrot family. Carrots (Daucus), celery (Apium), and fennel (Foeniculum) are a few examples. Some of the plants in the carrot family are actually poisonous, like water hemlock! | |||||||||
| COUS BISCUITROOT | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Lomatium cous | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Cous biscuit root is an herb that grows up to 10 to 30 cm high. The taproot is thick in some places and looks like a small potato. These “small potatoes” store food and water for the plant. The leaves are divided into leaflets. The flowers are greenish and are found in umbrella-like clusters. Cous biscuitroot smells like celery. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Cous biscuitroot grows on wet, rocky east-facing hillsides. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| Cous biscuitroot grows in the Cypress Hills, in the Cypress Upland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| This plant is considered threatened in Saskatchewan because it is only found in one place and its numbers are limited. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY COUS BISCUITROOT | |||||||||
| * Does it smell like celery? * Do the roots have “small potatoes”? * Are the flowers in umbrella-like clusters? * Did you find it in the Cypress Hills? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found cous biscuitroot! | |||||||||
