Bitterroot
Bitterroot
Lewisia rediviva
(Photo by Mike Ross)
I passed a guy hiking in the Pinnacles this spring.
He had a pile of books and more Latin names in his head than
seemed reasonable.
He showed no trace of enthusiasm or excitement, but he
would spout the Latin names of everything around. A little later,
I saw him again. He was jumping up and down with excitement.
I rushed over to see what he was marvelling at.
He had found a group of Bitterroot plants. They can do that to
you! They are one of the prettiest of our wildflowers.
Although common in the northern Rockies (Bitterroot is the
state flower of Montana) it is
relatively rare around here. Lucky for us, it grows well on the
dry rocky slopes over by the chairs.
Once you have seen a display, you will be hooked. I eagerly
await them every spring. You will find them from April through
June. The individual plants wither quickly, so you have to
check often to catch them at their peak.
Bitterroot is in the Purslane family with the Latin name
Lewisia rediviva. These names tell us
a lot about the plant. The roots are bitter--but only when
raw. Indians would
bake or boil them, or even powder
them for meal. The roots contain a lot of starch, especially
before the blossom uses it up. The Indians would find them by
recognizing the first leaves. They still gather them today in
Montana and Idaho.
The name Lewisia comes from Meriweather Lewis,
since it was discovered by a botanist on the Lewis and Clark
expedition. Clark got the Clarkias,
including
Elegant clarkia .
Rediviva means "that which lives again." Apparently, the plant
will still grow if it is
dug up and dried and replanted weeks later.
