We can know the needs of any particular region only by participating in its specificity–by becoming familiar with its cycles and styles, awake and attentive to its other inhabitants.
– David Abram, Spell of the Sensuous
Yellow stalks of spherical flower clusters rise from pointed fine fern-like leaves. She is a perennial in the carrot family (Apiaceae), and has a typical long taproot.
Desert Parsley stabilizes desert sands and creates micro-habitats for other small living beings. She blooms early, starting in February, feeding the year’s first pollinators in search for flowers. Her roots can be dug up for food or medicine.
Her enemies are the feet of cattle and humans, who disturb the desert soils and trample small plants such as her.
Her name “Lomatium” comes from the Greek word “loma” which means “bordered or fringed”, and describes the beautiful double-winged paper-like fruits, each wing a seed. I love gathering a few of these seeds, carrying them like good luck charms until I feel inspired to plant them.
A close relative, Lomatium dissectum, is a popular viral and bacterial remedy for various respiratory troubles, as well as for general immune-system support.
We are lucky to have Lomatium parryi as our neighbor in these desert lands.
“Land, then, is not merely soil; it is a fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils, plants and animals.”
– Aldo Leopold
I want to tell the stories
of the small beings
I will have to speak
in a forgotten language
References:
- Wikipedia, Lomatium parryi.
- Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Lomatium.
- American Southwest, Lomatiulm Parryi, Parry’s Biscuitroot.
- National Park Service, Apiaceae Lomatium parryi.
- Science Direct, Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health, 2010, Lomatium.
- Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, Second edition, Story Publishing, 2012.
- Anne Duri and Dave Montgomery, Sandstone County Wildflowers, Red Shoe Guides, 2015.
Sonoran Dreamer 