Bitter Root
Lewisia rediviva var. minor
Color: White to pinkish
Common name: Bitter Root, Bitterroot
Latin name: Lewisia rediviva var. minor
Family: MONTIACEAE
Height: 1-2 inches
Description: Bitterroot has solitary, silky flowers, up to 7.5 cm wide, and held on short stems. They are composed of 4–9 papery sepals and 12–20 almost translucent petals surrounding a bunch of stamens. Var. minor only differs from its Montana cousins in size being much smaller and in its limited range.
Leaf: The 2-3 mm wide succulent, fleshy leaves are up to 5 cm long. The leaves are held in a rosette and are either evergreen or die back to the thick fleshy roots.
Range: Desert Mtns, Transverse Mountain ranges, San Jacinto Mountains, NV, UT.
Habitat: Rocky open conifer woodland, scrub
Elevation: 1900–2800 m.
Flowering time: Late spring-early summer
Notes: The species name, rediviva, means "brought back to life" and refers to this plant's ability to sprout new growth, even after long periods of drought. The plants, discovered by Lewis and Clark, were already well-known to Native Americans in the area, and eaten by local people. Today, bitterroot is the state flower of Montana and has given its name to the Bitterroot Range, which runs north-south and forms the divide between Idaho and Montana. The common name bitterroot refers to the taste of the roots. The species is also used by several Native American groups as a medicinal plant for sore throats, heart and pleurisy pain, and to increase milk flow after childbirth.
We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone, iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.
Photo tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers - This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
Share this page on Facebook:
DesertUSA Newsletter -- We send articles on hiking, camping and places to explore, as well as animals, wildflower reports, plant information and much more. Sign up below or read more about the DesertUSA newsletter here. (It's Free.)
The Desert Environment
The North American Deserts
Desert Geological Terms
SEARCH THIS SITE
Past Wildflower Season Videos
click on links below
2009 Wildflower Video
2006 Wildflower Season -
Click here to play.
2005 Wildflower Season -
Click here to play.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers Book
200 color photos
Wildflower Field Guide - find flowers by color

Click here to see current desert temperatures!
DesertUSA is a comprehensive resource about the North American deserts and Southwest destinations. Learn about desert biomes while you discover how desert plants and animals learn to adapt to the harsh desert environment. Find travel information about national parks, state parks, BLM land, and Southwest cities and towns located in or near the desert regions of the United States. Access maps and information about the Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert, Great Basin Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert.
Home | About | Contact Us | Feedback | Privacy | Site Outline | Advertising on DesertUSA | Aquis Towels | Hotels