| Montana State Flower |
The Bitterroot
The bitterroot (Lewisia Rediviva) was a logical historical choice for Montana's state flower. In 1805, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark "discovered" the plant in the western Montana valley that now bears its name.
Montana's Indians used it as an important part of their diet. Tribes timed their spring migrations with the blooming of the bitterroot on the gravel river bars and hillsides. Dug, cleaned, and dried, the root provided a lightweight, nutritious supplement to a wild-game diet. At major trading centers like The Dalles, the root was an item of barter and exchange. A sackful commanded a substantial price-usually a horse.
One ounce of dried root provided sufficient nourishment for a meal, but the plant was seldom eaten raw, for its bitter taste and resultant swelling caused great discomfort. More traditionally, Indian women boiled the root, then mixed it with meat or berries. Pulverized and seasoned with deer fat and moss, the cooked root could be molded into patties and carried on hunting expeditions or war parties.
With a strong Indian heritage and a name derived from the leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the bitterroot was most appropriate as a state symbol. In their contribution to the 1893 Columbia Exposition, Butte residents used the flower as the central figure on a large silver shield. That same year, in response to a national WCTU program, Mrs. Mary Long Alderson of Bozeman began efforts to secure legislative designation for the bitterroot as Montana's state flower. At Mrs. Alderson's urging, the 1895 Legislature responded to public preference and sanctioned the symbol.
Special Acknowledgements to: Montana Historical Society, Rex C. Meyers and Norma B. Ashby
Courtesy of State of Montana
