Bistorta bistortoides
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Genus: Bistorta
Species:
B. bistortoides
Binomial name
Bistorta bistortoides
(Pursh) Small 1906
Synonyms[1]
  • Persicaria bistortoides (Pursh) H.R. Hinds
  • Polygonum bistortoides Pursh

Bistorta bistortoides (American bistort, western bistort, smokeweed, mountain meadow knotweed, mountain buckwheat or mountain meadow buckwheat) is a perennial herb in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae.

Description

Bistorta bistortoides plants generally grow to 10–51 centimetres (4–20 inches) tall.[2] Individuals growing above 2,250 metres (7,380 feet) are smaller, seldom reaching more than 30 cm (12 in) in height.

The leaves are leathery and 2.5–10 cm (1–4 in) long,[2] being mostly basal on the stem. The dense cylindrical to oblong inflorescence is 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) long and packed with small white to pinkish flowers, each a few millimeters wide and with protruding stamens.[3]

Taxonomy

The species name remains unresolved.[1]

Distribution and habitat

B. bistortoides is distributed throughout the Mountain West in North America from Alaska and British Columbia south into California and east into the Rocky Mountains.[4][5]

The plant grows from foothills to above the timberline.

Ecology

Rodents and bears consume the roots, and elk and deer browse the foliage.[2]

Uses

American bistort was an important food plant used by Native Americans living in the Mountain West, including Blackfoot and Cheyenne peoples.[2] The roots are edible either raw or fire-roasted[6] with a flavor resembling chestnuts. The seeds can be dried and ground into flour and used to make bread. They were also roasted and eaten as a cracked grain.[7][8] The young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "The Plant List: Bistorta bistortoides (Pursh) Small". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic Garden. 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Benoliel, Doug (2011). Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest (Rev. and updated ed.). Seattle, WA: Skipstone. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-59485-366-1. OCLC 668195076.
  3. ↑ Flora of North America, Bistorta bistortoides (Pursh) Small, 1906. Western or American bistort , smokeweed
  4. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  5. ↑ Turner Photographics, Polygonum bistortoides – Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest photos, description, partial distribution map
  6. ↑ Fagan, Damian (2019). Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. Guilford, CT: FalconGuides. p. 71. ISBN 1-4930-3633-5. OCLC 1073035766.
  7. ↑ Edibility: Identification and edible parts of American Bistort
  8. ↑ Tilford, G. L. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West ISBN 0-87842-359-1


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