Bitterroot

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Bitterroot
Lewisia rediviva 9789.JPG
Lewisia rediviva var. rediviva in Wenas Wildlife Area, Washington
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Montiaceae
Genus: Lewisia
Species:
L. rediviva
Binomial name
Lewisia rediviva

Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) is a small perennial herb in the family Montiaceae. Its specific epithet rediviva ("revived, reborn") refers to its ability to regenerate from dry and seemingly dead roots. [1]

Contents

The genus Lewisia was moved in 2009 from the purslane family (Portulacaceae) with adoption of the APG III system, which established the family Montiaceae.

Description

Flower in University of California Botanical Garden Lewisia rediviva 2.jpg
Flower in University of California Botanical Garden

Lewisia rediviva is a low-growing perennial plant with a fleshy taproot and a simple or branched base and a low rosette of thick fleshy linear leaves with blunt tips. The leaves are roughly circular in cross section, sometimes somewhat flattened on the adaxial (top) surface. The absence of an adaxial groove on the leaves distinguishes this from other Lewisia species with overlapping ranges. The leaves often wither before flowers open.

The very short flower stems are leafless, 1–3 centimetres (3⁄8–1+1⁄8 in) tall, bearing at the tip a whorl of 5–6 linear bracts which are 5–10 mm long. A single proportionally huge flower appears on each stem with 5–9 oval-shaped sepals and many petals. [2] The petals (usually about 15) are oblong in shape and are 18–35 millimetres (3⁄4–1+3⁄8 in) long. [2] They range in color from whitish to deep pink or lavender. Flowering occurs from April through July. [3] At maturity, the bitterroot produces egg-shaped capsules with 6–20 nearly round seeds. [2]

Distribution

The plant is native to western North America from low to moderate elevations on grassland, open bushland, forest in dry rocky or gravelly soils. Its range extends from southern British Columbia, through Washington and Oregon west of the Cascade Range to southern California, and east to western Montana, Wyoming, northern Colorado and northern Arizona. [3] [4] [2] [5]

Uses

The thick roots come into season in spring [6] and can survive extremely dry conditions. If collected early enough in the season, [7] they can be peeled, boiled, and made into a jelly-like food. [6]

History and culture

French trappers knew the plant as racine amère (bitter root). [8] Native American names include spetlum/sp̓eƛ̓m̓ or spetlem ("hand-peeled"), nakamtcu (Ktanxa: naqam¢u), [9] and mo'ôtáa-heséeo'ôtse (Cheyenne, "black medicine"). [10]

The roots were consumed by tribes such as the Shoshone and the Flathead Indians as an infrequent delicacy. Traditionally, the Ktunaxa cooked bitterroot with grouse. For the Ktunaxa, bitterroot is eaten with sugar; other tribes prefer eating it with salt. [11] The Lemhi Shoshone believed the small red core found in the upper taproot had special powers, notably being able to stop a bear attack. [8] Plains Indians peeled and boiled the root prior to its consumption. [7]

L. rediviva var. rediviva, Glass Mountain, Owens Valley, California Bitterroot, Lewisia rediviva var. rediviva.jpg
L. rediviva var. rediviva, Glass Mountain, Owens Valley, California
Before flowering Lewisia rediviva iNat-153200132.jpg
Before flowering

Meriwether Lewis ate bitterroot in 1805 and 1806 during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The specimens he brought back were identified and given their scientific name, Lewisia rediviva, by a German-American botanist, Frederick Pursh. [8] Based on Lewis and Clark's manuscript, Pursh labeled it "spatlum"; this apparently was actually a Salishan name for "tobacco". [12]

The bitterroot was selected as the Montana state flower in 1895. [13]

Three major geographic features – the Bitterroot Mountains (running north–south and forming the divide between Idaho and Montana), the Bitterroot Valley, and the Bitterroot River (which flows south–north, terminating in the Clark Fork river in the city of Missoula) – owe the origins of their names to this flower. [8] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bitterroot Range</span> Sub-range of the Rocky Mountains in the northwestern United States

The Bitterroot Range is a mountain range and a subrange of the Rocky Mountains that runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of 24,223 square miles (62,740 km2) and is named after the bitterroot, a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes</span> Indigenous tribe in Montana, United States

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation are a federally recognized tribe in the U.S. state of Montana. The government includes members of several Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles tribes and is centered on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bitterroot River</span> River in Montana, United States

The Bitterroot River is a northward flowing 84-mile (135 km) river running through the Bitterroot Valley, from the confluence of its West and East forks near Conner in southern Ravalli County to its confluence with the Clark Fork River near Missoula in Missoula County, in western Montana. The Clark Fork River is tributary to the Columbia River and ultimately, the Pacific Ocean. The Bitterroot River is a Blue Ribbon trout fishery with a healthy population of native westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout. It is the third most fly fished river in Montana behind the Madison and Big Horn Rivers.

<i>Claytonia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Claytonia is a genus of flowering plants native to Asia, North America, and Central America. The vitamin-rich leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, and the tubers can be prepared like potatoes.

<i>Lewisia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Lewisia is a plant genus, named for the American explorer Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) who encountered the species in 1806. The native habitat of Lewisia species is rocky ground and cliffs in western North America. Local Native Americans ate the roots, which have also been used to treat sore throats.

<i>Balsamorhiza sagittata</i> Species of flowering plant

Balsamorhiza sagittata is a North American species of flowering plant in the tribe Heliantheae of the family Asteraceae known by the common name Arrowleaf Balsamroot. Also sometimes called Oregon sunflower, it is widespread across western Canada and much of the western United States.

<i>Calyptridium monospermum</i> Species of flowering plant

Calyptridium monospermum, synonym Cistanthe monosperma, is a perennial plant in the miner's lettuce family (Montiaceae), known by the common name one-seeded pussypaws. It was formerly classified in the purslane family (Portulacaceae).

<i>Lewisia brachycalyx</i> Species of flowering plant

Lewisia brachycalyx is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae, known by the common name short-sepal bitter-root or shortsepal lewisia. It is native to the mountains of the southwestern United States and Baja California, where it grows in moist habitat such as meadows.

<i>Lewisia cotyledon</i> Species of flowering plant

Lewisia cotyledon is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common names Siskiyou lewisia and cliff maids. It is native to southern Oregon and northern California, where it grows in rocky subalpine mountain habitat.

<i>Lewisia disepala</i> Species of flowering plant

Lewisia disepala is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name Yosemite lewisia.

<i>Lewisia kelloggii</i> Species of flowering plant

Lewisia kelloggii is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name Kellogg's lewisia. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California, where it is known from several sites high in the mountains. It grows in rocky mountain habitat in granite and slate substrates. This is a perennial herb growing from a thick, short taproot and caudex unit. It produces a basal rosette of many thick, leathery, spoon-shaped leaves up to 9 centimeters long. The inflorescence bears several flowers, each on a very short stalk. The flower has 5 to 13 shiny white or pinkish petals just over a centimeter long. Under the petals are two sepals and two similar bracts lined with spherical resin glands.

<i>Lewisia leeana</i> Species of flowering plant

Lewisia leeana is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name quill-leaf lewisia. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada and Klamath Ranges. This is a perennial herb growing from narrow, woody taproot connected to one or more caudices. It produces a basal rosette of many fleshy flat to cylindrical blunt-tipped leaves up to 4 centimeters long. The inflorescence bears many flowers on erect, branching stems up to about 24 centimeters tall. Each flower has 5 to 8 white, pink, or purplish petals each about half a centimeter long.

<i>Lewisia oppositifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Lewisia oppositifolia is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name opposite-leaf lewisia. It is native to the Klamath Mountains of Josephine County, Oregon, and Del Norte County, California, where it is a local serpentine endemic generally found in moist areas. This is a perennial herb growing from a small taproot and caudex unit. It produces a basal rosette of several lance-shaped, blunt-tipped fleshy leaves up to 11 centimeters long. There are sometimes smaller leaves located on the lower stem. The inflorescence is made up of one or more erect stems up to about 20 centimeters long, each bearing 1 to 6 flowers. The flower has 8 to 11 white to pale pink petals with blunt or jagged tips, each between 1 and 2 centimeters long. At the center are several stamens with pale anthers. This plant has a limited distribution and it is threatened by human activity in the area, such as logging.

<i>Lewisia pygmaea</i> Species of flowering plant

Lewisia pygmaea is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name alpine lewisia and pygmy bitterroot. It is native to western North America from Alaska and Alberta to California and New Mexico, where it grows in many types of moist, rocky mountain habitat, such as gravel beds and sandy meadows.

<i>Lewisia stebbinsii</i> Species of flowering plant

Lewisia stebbinsii is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name Stebbins' lewisia. It is endemic to California, where it is known from less than fifteen sites in the Inner North Coast Ranges of Mendocino and Trinity Counties, mainly in Mendocino National Forest.

<i>Lewisiopsis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Lewisiopsis tweedyi is a flowering plant and sole species in genus Lewisiopsis. The species, formerly known as Cistanthe tweedyi and Lewisia tweedyi, is now classified in the family Montiaceae. The plant is known by the common names Tweedy's pussypaws, Tweedy's lewisia, or Tweedy's bitterroot. It is endemic to western North America in north-central Washington and adjacent British Columbia. It commonly grows on well-drained slopes often on rocky slopes or in rock crevices from low elevation ponderosa pine sites up to the drier part of the Grand Fir zone of the North Cascades. The flowers usually have a coral, apricot, or pink color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montiaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Montiaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising about 14 genera with about 230 known species, ranging from small herbaceous plants to shrubs. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution.

Lewisia maguirei is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name Maguire's lewisia, or Maguire's bitterroot. It is endemic to Nevada in the United States, where it is known only from eastern Nye County.

<i>Lewisia sacajaweana</i> Species of flowering plant

Lewisia sacajaweana is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name Sacajawea's bitterroot. It is endemic to Idaho, where it is known from approximately two dozen sites, with about 75 percent of them in Boise National Forest. It is usually found at elevations ranging from 5,000 feet (1,500 m) to 9,500 feet (2,900 m) above sea level and produces white flowers shortly after snowmelt.

References

  1. ↑ William Curtis (1801). The Curtis's botanical magazine. p. 123. The specific name rediviva is given by Pursh in consequence of the root, long preserved in the herbarium, and apparently dead, having been planted, revived in a garden in Philadelphia.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Klinkenberg, Brian, ed. (2014). "Lewisia rediviva". E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  3. 1 2 Sullivan, Steven. K. (2015). "Lewisia rediviva". Wildflower Search. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  4. ↑ "Lewisia rediviva". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2015. Archived from the original on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  5. ↑ Giblin, David, ed. (2015). "Lewisia rediviva". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  6. 1 2 Angier, Bradford (1974). Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 36. ISBN   0-8117-0616-8. OCLC   799792.
  7. 1 2 Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 122. ISBN   0-87842-280-3. OCLC   25708726.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Trivia | BitterrootHeaven.com". Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  9. ↑ "FirstVoices: Ktunaxa words" . Retrieved 2012-07-08.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ Cheyenne Dictionary [ permanent dead link ] by Fisher, Leman, Pine, Sanchez.
  11. ↑ Ashley Casimer. "Nutrition: Ktunaxa People and the Traditional Food History". Aqam Community Learning Centre. Archived from the original on 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  12. ↑ Bureau of American Ethnology (1910). Handbook of American Indians. p. 624. its supposed name was obtained from Lewis's manuscript by Pursh, who gives it as spatlum (Spatlum Aboriginorum). The name, which is Salishan, is here a misapplication, since spatlûm in the Comox dialect (spätlûm in the Kwantlin) is the name for
  13. ↑ Montana. Dept. of Public Instruction (1929). Montana Educational Directory. p. 30. The Montana state flower, adopted by act of the Legislative Assembly, approved February 27, 1895, is the Bitter Root (Lewisia rediviva).
  14. ↑ US Forest Service (1909). Names of National Forests with Their Origin, Definition, Or Derivation. Washington. From the plant Lewisia rediviva, which gives name to the Bitter Root mountains and river of Montana and Idaho.

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