Nineleaf biscuitroot has been selected for discussion because it 

 is one of the most common and widespread species of the C'ogsviettia 

 genus and is reasonably typical of the plants in this large and 

 variable group. Because of its general appearance and its member- 

 ship in the carrot, or parsnip family (Umbelliferae) , it has been 

 locally called wildcarrot, wildparsley, wildparsnip, and hogfennel. 

 These names are undesirable, however, because they are loosely used 

 for a large number of other umbelliferous plants. On the other hand, 

 nineleaf biscuitroot, the common name adopted above, is distinctive, 

 appropriate, and also fairly descriptive of the specific name, triter- 

 nata, which means arranged in three times three, referring to the 

 leaves, which are often divided into three main divisions, each of 

 which is again divided into usually three or more long, narrow lobes. 

 The roots of this and other species of Cogswellm are edible and were 

 once used extensively as food by the Indians. They were eaten raw, 

 or cooked as a vegetable, or diced and ground into flour for bread. 

 This use of the plants gave rise to the name, biscuitroot, which is in 

 common usage in many localities in the West. 



Nineleaf biscuitroot is distributed from British Columbia to north- 

 eastern California, Colorado, and Alberta. It is typically a plant 

 of the plains, foothills, and lower mountains, although occasionally 

 it extends to higher altitudes, having been collected from dry open 

 slopes at elevations of 9,500 feet in Utah and 10,000 feet in Wyoming. 

 This species grows in well-drained or dry, rocky soils on the sunny 

 open slopes, dry parks, and flats, open ridges and under open stands 

 of timber through the sagebrush, pinon and ponderosa pine belts. 

 It grows scatteringly in mixture with various other drought-resistant 

 plants such as arrowleaf balsamroot, wheatgrass, sagebrush, oak- 

 brush, and bitterbrush. 



Nineleaf biscuitroot is one of the most valuable forage species in 

 the Cogswellia genus. It is a rank-growing plant, sometimes at- 

 taining a height of 28 inches, and therefore produces more forage 

 than many of the lower-growing biscuitroots. The plant is eaten by 

 livestock and game animals throughout its range, being fair to very 

 good for sheep and poor to fairly good for cattle. In the North- 

 west it is prized greatly because of its high palatability for both 

 cattle and sheep. Unfortunately nineleaf biscuitroot is seldom 

 abundant enough to form an important part of the plant cover. 

 This plant begins growth early in the season and usually matures its 

 seed and dries up by early summer; consequently it is of value for 

 forage mainly on the spring ranges. 



Most of the botanical manuals listing this plant separate it into 

 two species: Cogswellia triternata and C. simplest} (syn. C. platy- 

 carpa) , which are very similar in appearance, differing chiefly in the 

 shape of the seeds and the width of their wings, the wider-winged 

 forms being placed in C. simplex. Since a complete series of inter- 

 grades exists wherever a line of division is drawn, the best present- 

 day opinion is to combine both forms into one species under the 

 oldest name G. triternata. 



