About Lewisia rediviva Pursh
Lewisia rediviva Pursh is a low-growing perennial plant with a fleshy taproot, a simple or branched base, and a low rosette of thick, fleshy linear leaves that have blunt tips. In cross-section, the leaves are roughly circular, and sometimes somewhat flattened on the adaxial (top) surface. The lack of an adaxial groove on the leaves separates this species from other Lewisia species that share overlapping ranges. The leaves often wilt before flowers open. The plant produces very short, leafless flower stems that grow 1–3 centimetres (3⁄8–1+1⁄8 in) tall, with a whorl of 5–6 linear bracts (5–10 mm long) at the tip. Each stem holds a single, proportionally very large flower that has 5–9 oval-shaped sepals and many petals. Each flower has between 10 and 19 petals that measure 15 to 35 millimetres (5⁄8 to 1+3⁄8 in) long, and petal color ranges from whitish to deep pink or lavender. Flowering happens from April through July. When mature, bitterroot produces egg-shaped capsules that hold 6–20 nearly round seeds. This plant is native to western North America, where it grows at low to moderate elevations in grasslands, open shrublands, and forests in dry rocky or gravelly soils. Its range extends from southern British Columbia, through Washington and Oregon west of the Cascade Range to southern California, and eastward to western Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, northern Colorado, and northern Arizona. The thick roots become harvestable in spring and can survive extremely dry conditions. When collected early enough in the growing season, the roots can be peeled, boiled, and processed into a jelly-like food.
