Lewisia redeviva 
The bitterroot, L ewisia redev iva, is a rock garden plant of outstanding merit, 
the best of the Lgvfi sii~I Tt is' easy~to handle, curious, but handsome in appearance, 
interesting in history "and in habit of growth. 
The type specimen was collected near the mouth of Lolo creek, about twelve 
miles south of Missoula, Montana, by Capt. Heriweather Lewis of the Lewis and Clark 
expedition in 1506. Lewis had seen the root of the plant the previous summer among 
some dried foods abondoned by a party of Indians; but failed to find the living 
plant that season. Lewis carried his specimens the 3^000 miles of his return trip 
and turned his entire collection over to Dr, Frederick Pursh for determination. 
Sometime later Dr, Pursh, while studying the plants collected by the expedition, 
discovered that one of the bitterroots that had been dried and pressed showed signs 
of life. He planted it in the garden of a lir. McMayon in Philadelphia and there it 
continued to live for sometime. This incident suggested for the plant its specific 
nano, redeviva, or the plant that returned to life. I verified this story one spring 
when Vome plants in a plant press under a 100 pound weight, between blotters, 
sunned and changed daily, from March 23 to May 25, after which one of the plants 
continued to grow, a permanent addition to my garden. 
The bitterroot, which is the state flcJw^r of Montana, has given the name to a 
range of mountains, a river and a fertile valley in western Montana, The plant puts 
out leaves in winter or early spring, either a rosette spread close to the ground 
or erected to form a tuft suggesting a tiny cl\amp of some coarse grass. When dug, the 
reddish, fleshy roots that tend to draw up over the short crown, with its tuft of 
green leaves suggests some big bug. The flowers are large and cactus-like, usually 
pink; but varying from white to red, A well established plant sometimes produces a 
large number of those handsome blossoms, 67 on one plant that I counted. Usually by 
May, or when the weather gets hot, the leaves have shriveled up, like a rubber band 
on a hot stove, and drawn into the soil around the plant's crown so that only 
flower stems are to be seen at blooming time. The rich, cactus-like blossoms do not 
shed their petals; but"'dry up entire, the seeds ripening within the flov/-er. After 
the seeds have ripened, the stem detaches beloviT the flower permitting the faded 
blossoms to roll about with the wind and scatter the seeds, which under favorable 
conditions, may produce plants the size of a pin by fall, and flovvers the 5^d. year. 
The stem, its labor finished, drains into the soil and the plant disappears complete¬ 
ly until cool weather and time again to produce the tiv/1-like loaves, 
Bitterroot used to bo highly prized by the Indians as food, for it supplied 
the starch lacking in their essentially moat diet. Large parties camped each spring 
at the base of the Bitter Hoot Mountains while the squaws and children dug the year's 
supply. The root was dried and boiled like beans or ground and used as flour. Now 
the younger generations have adopted the white man's potato and wheat and less of 
the bitterroot is gathered, though each year a number of camps may be seen about 
!li 3 soul a which has alv^ays been considered the finest collecting area of the plant's 
rather restricted range. 
Bitterroot seems immvine to drought or root exposure. It T;ill accept any near 
neutral soil, but it will not tolerate a wet crown. It must bo given a sunny site 
and perfect drainage. The bed should be raised above the surrounding area and the 
subsoil should be porous. Its soil may be rich in humus, like decayed sods, or may 
be fertilized with well rotted co-w manure, the rich soil stimulating larger and 
richer colored flowers, A rich humus over-lain by 2" to V of barren gravel is good. 
Thorough watering is best during the grovring season, or when the leaves are green, 
with a drought following the flowering season. Leave the roots undisturbed through 
the dormant sea-son, Owir^ to its exacting soil and drainage requirements, and its 
habit of disappearing after flowering, the bitterroot will nover escape from oulti- 
vation or become a pest. Lewis!a redeviva adds interest and beauty to any rockery, 
garden or window-box, Pl.ant it in abundance. 
At home with the Lewisia redeviva in Nature's rock garden, we find a number of 
attractive plants. The moss pink, Douglasia montana, hugs close to the ground its 
green cushion covered early with a multitude of pink blossoms scarcely larger than 
pin heads. As the days grow vfarmer. Phlox douglasii , ssp, missoulaensis , transforms 
a gray-green mound to pale blue with flowers produced in reckless abundance. Often 
so closely associated with one of these as to appear a part of the same plant, the 
gray Eriogonum ovalifolium, a dwarf, vfild buckwheat displays numerous, cream to pink 
heads on b'’ stems. The very compact Erigeron compositus , with vj-hite daisies on 6" 
stems, and the grass-like sandwort, Arenaria lithophlTa , with small, white, star- 
like flower clusters, may be classed also with the choice plants of this site. 
Pentstemon eriantherus, P, missouliensis, Potentilla convallaria, Senocio canus, 
SieversTa ciliata an3~others add varieTy of a less compact type. 
For any native plant of the Glacier-Yollowstone region, shipped anywhere, 
inexpensively, please remember, 
Frank H. Rose, 1020 Poplar St., Missoula, Montana. 
