Cous Roots

Photo:  Creative Commons, 2.0., Thayne Tuason

Early May was the time when the Nez Perce people dug cous roots.
The Native people called it “shappelell,” and the men of the Corps thought the root resembled a small sweet potato. It’s also known as biscuitroot or desert parsley.

The women and children of the tribe searched for cous roots on dry, rocky hillsides. As with most roots, they were careful not to harvest the largest one found – to make sure more cous grew the next year.

A member of the carrot family, it is today technically known as “Lomatium cous.” Meriwether Lewis provided a lengthy, detailed description in his May 9, 1806 journal entry, explaining how the roots were peeled and eaten fresh in the spring, or dried, ground, and patted into cakes to store for later use. They were eaten dry or boiled in water to make a “mush.”

Later on the return journey, when Private John Potts cut himself severely with one of the large knives, Captain Lewis made a poultice of cous roots (probably of no benefit) and applied it to Potts’s infected leg.