Читать книгу Some Useful Wild Plants - Dan Jason - Страница 12

Bitterroot

Lewisia rediviva

Portulacaceae

Bitterroot grows in dry, rocky open places, flowering at the end of April or in early May in the dry Interior. It has thick, oblong leaves and is nearly stemless. The flowers are rose-pink (sometimes white) and have 10 to 15 petals. It is a perennial with a thick and fleshy carrot-shaped root. The plant often appears leafless because the tufts of leaves may have dried by the time flowers appear.

The root and inner bark are starchy and nutritious. The outer covering can be soaked loose and removed. Cooking takes away most of the bitterness; boil it to a jelly-like consistency.

The pounded dry root was chewed by First Nations foragers to help sore throat.

Bitterroot