THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



47 



and fairylike that it seems an impossibility that they could have 

 arisen from so unpromising a desert. The bud sepals are of a 

 dull green touched with red, but the open flower is the pink of 

 our soft sunrises. A loose ring of petals, each petal showing 

 fine darker lines radiating from the flower center, surround a 

 host of red stamens which in turn make a complete ring about 

 the pistil. The whole flower has a sauc}^ airiness of manner 

 that it is quite impossible to describe. 



Entirely apart from the charm and interest of the plant is 

 the history of its discovery and use. The flower ranges from 

 British Columbia to Wyoming, having been first collected by 

 Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition across 

 the continent to the Pacific in 1804. He found it on the banks 

 of the Low Low Fork of the Bitterroot River in Montana. In 

 his journal Lew^is says in describing some of the dried roots — 

 *'it was of a cylindrical form, hard and brittle. A part of the 

 rind which had not been detached in the preparation was hard 

 and black, but the rest of the root w^as perfectly white." 



The Kon-ah, as the Indians call the bitterroot, is particu- 

 larly abundant in the Bitterroot Valley, which takes its name 

 from this fact. Because of its beauty and interest it was chosen 

 by vote of the people as the State flow^er of Montana. It was 

 given the name rediviva as the roots will revive after being in 

 a herbarium for several years. Indeed, it is almost impossible 

 to obtain a good herbarium specimen as the plant seems to 

 retain enough vigor to ripen flowers even after being dry and 

 under a heavy w^eight. I well remember my own disgust at my 

 many times repeated efforts to secure an acceptable specimen. 



This starchy root is dug by the Indians in spring, the Flat- 

 heads in particular digging large quantities of it in May, when 

 it is at its best. After being dried it keeps for years. Lewis 

 says, ''This the Indians informed us was always boiled before 

 eating ; and on making the experiment we found that it became 

 perfectly soft, but had a bitter taste which was nauseous to us. 



