Eastern Yampah

Perideridia americana Origin: US Midwest Improvement status: Wild cultivated material Seeds per packet: ~15 BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED Life cycle: Perennial Sometimes called "wild dill" or "thicket parsley", this increasingly rare Midwest native perennial has long been prized by Indigenous peoples for its tasty edible root, though its West Coast cousin — Perideridia gairdneri, the original "yampah" — is generally much better known and more widely consumed today. It can apparently have a laxative effect if too much is eaten, and it has been used for this intentional medicinal purpose as well. Its leaves and flavorful seeds are edible too. Due to is close resemblance to the widespread and invasive poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), it's not recommended for people to go out foraging for this plant, unless they are incredibly confident experts. The plant also is hard to find, except when in bloom, and this only lasts for a few weeks at most (as with many tuberous-rooted per