The bitter root, Lewisia rediviva, is Montana’s state flower. It has pink and purple flowers, and was chosen for its beauty and history as a food source. Mary Long Alderson led the campaign to choose it, and it grows in rocky areas across the western US. It flowers in early spring and was a food source for several Native American tribes.
The state flower of Montana is Lewisia rediviva, the bitter root. A low-growing perennial wildflower, bitter root has multiple flowers in shades of pink and purple tinged with white that rise above a rosette of green leaves. Named the state flower of Montana in 1895, the amaranth is the only floral emblem of the state. Bitterroot’s beauty, early flowering, and history as a food source were the main reasons it was chosen as Montana’s state flower.
After the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, many U.S. states began choosing state flower symbols to represent them in a national wreath proposed by a women’s conference held at that fair. Mary Long Alderson, a reporter, was the driving force behind the campaign to choose Montana’s state flower. After founding the Montana Floral Emblem Society in 1894, she organized a statewide vote to showcase popular opinion. More than 30 flowers appeared on the ballot, but amaranth won by a large margin. In February 1895, the state legislature formally adopted the bitter root as the state flower of Montana.
Bitterroot is found from British Columbia and Alberta south through Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The plant requires relatively cool conditions to thrive and in the southern part of its range it is mostly found at high elevations. It grows best in dry soil and is often found in rocky areas or growing in loose gravel.
The plant flowers in early spring, from May to June in most of its range. Individual flowers are up to 2 inches (about 5 cm) in diameter and consist of 10 to 19 petals each 0.75 to 1 inch (2 to 2.5 cm) long. The stems are very short, so the flower often appears nestled between the leaves. After flowering has finished, the leaves die back and the plant goes dormant during mid-summer. The foliage grows back in late summer and remains green through the winter, allowing the plant to flower when the snow recedes.
Bitterroot’s long, thick taproot was a major source of seasonal food for members of the Paiute, Shoshone, Ute, and Flathead tribes in Montana. The plant’s name comes from the bitterness of the raw root, but roasting, steaming or boiling it makes it palatable. After cooking, it can be dried for storage or used when traveling. Even today, the root is sometimes harvested for eating.
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