Montana’s State Flower

In 1893, the World’s Fair was held in Chicago. The first state flowers were adopted in preparation for the event. Montana is one of several states that adopted official flowers soon after the Fair.

The Montana Floral Emblem Society was formed, with Mary Long Anderson serving as chairman. Montanans were then asked to vote for their favorite flower. The wild rose took third place with 668 votes. (Wild roses represent two of Montana’s neighbors, North Dakota and Alberta.) Second place went to the evening primrose with 787 votes.

The winner, with 3,621 votes, was the bitterroot. Most common in western Montana, the bitterroot led in ten of the fifteen counties which voted.

The bitterroot was adopted on February 27, 1895. But it had become a Montana icon long before.

Deep Roots

The bitterroot was treasured by Native Americans, who ate its roots. It was considered a luxury food rather than a staple.

Bitterroot was most important to the Flathead Indians who lived in the Bitterroot Valley. Each spring, Flathead, Kalispell, Pend d’Oreille, Spokane, and Nez Perce gathered near what is now Missoula to dig the prized root. Early pioneers also ate bitterroot, though they seldom harvested the roots themselves. Instead, they bartered with the Indians.

As you might guess from its scientific name, bitterroot was discovered by Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The species name, rediviva, refers to the plant’s hardiness. In fact, bitterroot can live for more than a year without water. Plants that have been dried and pressed have even revived after being soaked! For this reason, bitterroot has also been dubbed the “resurrection flower.”

The bitterroot lent its name to a Montana mountain range, a river, and the famous Bitter Root Valley. Few state flowers are more beloved than Montana’s bitterroot, which carries its pink blossoms so close to the ground.

Image courtesy
of the Santalady

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