Feeding humans and pollinators for millenia!
Barestem Biscuitroot is a curious-looking plant. Like other biscuitroots, it grows from a deep, edible taproot. Both its bluish leaves and yellow flowers rise almost directly from the ground. When planted closely among other plants, the yellow flowers seem to float gently about a foot above the ground.
It is a valuable source for many pollinators, including native bees, butterflies, and syrphid flies. It has also long been a food and medicinal plant for people - it has been eaten like celery by the Syilx, Astugewi, and Paiute tribes. It has been used as cold and cough medicine by many Coast and Interior Salish tribes, including the Cowichan, Kwakiutl, Nitinaht, Nlakaʼpamux, and Saanich tribes. The roots have also long been baked as food, including by the Nlaka'pamux.
This is an easy-to-care for plant that can live for many years.
Photo Credit: By Walter Siegmund (talk) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21700929
