Plant
Gairdner’s yampah; fennel
Perideridia gairdneri
Habitat
east of Celilo Falls
Conservation
Apparently secure
First Observed
1806-04-25
In the Lemhi Valley, Lewis described how the Shoshones fed their starving children roots of this staple food plant.
Journal References
3 journal entries mention Gairdner’s yampah; fennel
Aug
26
1805
Lewis: August 26, 1805
...bserve the indian women collecting the root of a speceis of fennel which
grows in the moist grounds and feeding their poor starved children; it is
really distressin...
May
16
1806
Lewis: May 16, 1806
...rgarmeah geathered a quantity of the roots of a speceis of
fennel which we found very agreeable food, the flavor of this root is not
unlike annis seed, and they dis...
May
18
1806
Lewis: May 18, 1806
...woman was busily engaged today in laying in a store of the
fennel roots for the Rocky mountains. these are called by the Shoshones
year-pah. at 2 P.M. 3 Indians who...
