Polygonum bistortoides
Western Bistort

Family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheat family)

Photo taken at Stevens Pass, open moist meadow near stream (0.1 to 1 meter away)

Flowers:

many in a terminal raceme, racemes rarely greater than 2.5 times as long as broad

Leaves:

chiefly basal, petioled, leathery; blade generally 15 to 40 cm long, oblong or strap-shaped to narrowly lanceolate

Plant:

perennial; 0.1 to 0.75 meters tall. Roots cooked in soups or stews by the Blackfoot and Cheyene.

Habitat:

streambanks and wet meadows to alpine slopes in the mountains

Distribution of species:

British Columbia to California east to eastern North America

Distribution of genus:

more or less 300 species: worldwide, especially in northern temperate regions