YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 33 



(white) (pink) 



WILD BUCKWHEAT 



BITTER-ROOT 



Wild Buckwheat (Eriogonum) . This plant, call- 

 ed also "umbrella plant" because of the shape of the 

 flower cluster, belongs to the open, dry places; it is 

 usually part of the undergrowth among the sagebrush. 

 From an underground woody rootstock there grows a 

 sprawling mass of slender stems with small, narrow 

 paddle-shaped, powdery gray leaves. The slender 

 flower-stems stand about eight inches high, divided at 

 the top into a group of smaller stems like the ribs of 

 an umbrella, which support a rounded cluster of very 

 small flowers. Generally these are white ; one spe- 

 cies, with yellow flowers, is called Sulphur Plant. 



Bitter-Root (Lewisia). The bitter-root is one of 

 the most conspicuous and beautiful of the early-bloom- 

 ing flowers of the open places. Its favorite locations 

 are dry, timberless hillsides. A rosette of smooth, 

 narrow leaves springs from a thick, fleshy root, lying 

 flat and close to the earth; and from the midst of 

 this the almost stemless flowers rise. They are very 

 delicate and beautiful; their petals, usually six or 

 eight in number, are each an inch or more long, and 

 range in color from white to almost red. The most 

 common color is a clear rose tint. 



