Description

A Celebration of Thunder
Bitterroot, Mazatzal Wilderness, AZ
Bloomed 4-14-23 3:00 PM
28×22 Oil on Canvas

While hiking in the Mazatzals after a very rainy season, I was delighted to discover flowering bitterroot.
The bitterroot was named Lewisia rediviva after Meriwether Lewis, who collected the plant on July 1st, 1806 at Traveler’s Rest in Lolo, Montana. Traditionally, the Blackfeet tribe would gather and boil the roots for healing the digestive and respiratory systems. It is believed the healing ability of the bitterroot is most potent around the New Year, which is traditionally celebrated by the tribe at the first clap of thunder during the first rainstorm.
Lewis boiled the roots, ate them, and found them bitter, hence the common name.
“Today, the bitterroot is the floral emblem of Montana as well as the source of several of Montana’s place names: Bitterroot Mountains, Bitterroot Valley, and Bitterroot River. The species name “rediviva” is derived from the Latin word relating to revival from dryness. Seeds from the bitterroot plant can survive for years until favorable conditions are found to sprout.” *
I have not seen it blooming since, but I know it’s there waiting, just under the soil.
*lewisandclark.org