Wildlife
Gairdner’s yampah; fennel
Perideridia gairdneri
Habitat
east of Celilo Falls
Conservation
Apparently secure
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...
