American bistort

Quick look

Bistorta bistortoides, commonly called western bistort, is a perennial herb in the buckwheat family. It grows mainly in the western United States, but also extends into small areas of southern Canada and northern Mexico. It is an edible plant that is part of the traditional diet of native peoples.

• It belongs to the Polygonaceae family. ^iNaturalist
• USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
• USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 11 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
• NatureServe lists it as native to Colorado and Wyoming. ^NatureServe
• In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
• In Wyoming, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
• USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as white. ^{USDA PLANTS}
• USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
• USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 1.5 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
• iNaturalist has 3,273 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #42 among the 110 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
• iNaturalist has 722 research-grade sightings of it in Wyoming, ranking #29 among the 107 flowers on our Wyoming list. ^iNaturalist