Lomatium cous (S.Watson) J.M.Coult. & Rose

Taxonomy and Common Name

Lomatium cous, commonly known as cous biscuitroot, is a perennial herb in the Apiaceae plant family.

Indigenous Food Use

Indigenous tribes of the southern plateau of the Pacific Northwest prize this species' root as food.

Early Scientific Collection

Meriwether Lewis collected a specimen of this plant in 1806 during his expedition.

Sahaptin Language Name

It has multiple Indigenous names: it is called x̣áwš in the Sahaptin language.

Nez Perce Language Names

In the Nez Perce language, it is called qáamsit when fresh, and qáams when peeled and dried.

Chinook Language Name

The Chinook people call it shappelell.

Lewis' 1806 Expedition Journal Entry

Meriwether Lewis wrote on Friday, January 9, 1806: "... and a kind of bisquit, which the natives make of roots called by them shappelell."

Journal Citation Details

This quote appears in The Definitive Journals of Lewis & Clark, Down the Columbia to Fort Clatsop, which is volume 6 of the Nebraska Edition, edited by Gary E. Moulton and published 1990 by University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln.