Alum root

      Arrowhead or wapato

      Sagittaria latifolia

      Alismataceae

      Wapato is a bog or water plant of sea-level to subalpine elevations. It is found in ponds, the shallow water of lakes, and slow-moving streams throughout BC. If the water is deep enough, the arrow-shaped leaves don’t develop and only long, slender leaf stalks are evident. Flowers, sometimes several feet above the leaves, are in whorls of three; they have three sepals and three waxy white petals. The long stem contains a milky sap. Seed heads are globular. The tubers are quite large and break off easily. The plant may be in the water or erect above it. It flowers in late June or early July.

      Wapato tubers can be roasted, boiled or ground into flour. The milky juice of the stem is unpleasant raw but sweet when cooked.

      Arrowleaf balsamroot or spring sunflower

      Balsamorhiza sagittata

      Asteraceae

      Balsamroot is found throughout the dry Interior on fairly open and dry hills and in valleys with deep, sandy soils. It first appears in early April and begins flowering late in the month. It is often near open ponderosa pine forest with buttercup, mullein, yarrow and biscuitroot. Leaves are large, basal, olive green, smooth-edged and arrow-shaped; they have fine silver-grey hairs and grow on large stalks. Bright yellow ray flowers surround the disc-shaped flowers. Balsamroot’s naked stems and silvery appearance distinguish it from sunflower (Helianthus spp.). A dozen or so flowers may arise from each bundle of leaves. Roots are often several inches thick, resinous and woody. At flowering, balsamroot is often two feet high.

      The entire plant may be used year-round. Young stems and leaves may be boiled and eaten as greens; they become tougher and more fibrous with age. The root may be eaten raw or cooked. We like it sliced and gently stir­-fried. Seeds, when roasted, ground and made into mush, have a toasted popcorn flavour.

      The root, when peeled, ground and boiled, can be drunk as a remedy for rheumatism and headache. The mashed root can be used for swelling and insect bites. A decoction of the root causes profuse perspiration.

      Balsamroot

      Biscuitroot

      Lomatium spp.

      Apiaceae

      Biscuitroot is mainly an Interior plant, found on dry plains and hills and frequently at the base of rock cliffs and outcrops. Height is several inches to several feet, depending on the species. Leaves are greatly divided. Flowers are small and in compound umbels coloured white, yellow, pink or purple. There can be one or several stems; the flower stem, often purplish, is leafless. Leaves of most Lomatium species smell and taste much like parsley. In several species, the root consists of several large connected bulbs; others have thick, fleshy roots. First flowering is around the beginning of April.

      All of the many species have edible roots. A tea can be made from the leaves, stems or flowers. The seeds can be eaten raw, roasted or dried. The roots are better if dug after flowering; they are delicious raw, cooked, dried or ground into flour. The green stems and leaves are good spring salad materials.

      Biscuitroot

      Bitterroot

      Lewisia rediviva

      Portulacaceae

      Bitterroot grows in dry, rocky open places, flowering at the end of April or in early May in the dry Interior. It has thick, oblong leaves and is nearly stemless. The flowers are rose-pink (sometimes white) and have 10 to 15 petals. It is a perennial with a thick and fleshy carrot-shaped root. The plant often appears leafless because the tufts of leaves may have dried by the time flowers appear.

      The root and inner bark are starchy and nutritious. The outer covering can be soaked loose and removed. Cooking takes away most of the bitterness; boil it to a jelly-like consistency.

      The pounded dry root was chewed by First Nations foragers to help sore throat.

      Bitterroot

      Broadleaf cattail

      Typha latifolia

      Typhaceae

      The cattail is very common in moist or wet places such as marshes, shallow ponds, ditches and stream borders. The spongy, dark brown spikes are four to eight inches long and contain the pollen grains. The leaves are long, flat and about an inch wide.

      The young shoots pulled from the rootstalks in spring are succulent raw or cooked. They can be gathered throughout summer and fall when still under a foot long. The young flower stalks can be taken out of their sheaths and cooked.

      The rootstalks should be obtained after the cattails have turned brown in the fall. After the outer peel has been removed, the core can be eaten raw or cooked. Cattail rootstalks have a very high starch content and can be used to obtain an excellent flour. The difficulty with obtaining the flour as well as with eating the rootstalk is the harsh fibres it contains. These can be removed by drying and pounding the rootstalk cores and then sifting out the fibres. The flour will settle to the bottom if water is used. The flour is about 80 percent carbohydrate and 7 percent protein.

      Cattail pollen can be used as stuffing for pillows and blankets, for caulking walls and barrels, and as insulation. The shoots can be used to make mats, baskets and other woven materials. The down makes excellent tinder.

      Cattails

      Bulrush

      Scirpus spp.

      Cyperaceae

      Bulrushes grow in dense patches in mud or shallow water. They grow from perennial rootstalks and have grass-like leaves or no leaves at all, except for a few sheaths around the stem base. Stems are round to triangular and usually three to nine feet tall. The flowers grow in clusters of spikelets at the head of the stem and have leaf-like bracts.

      The starchy rootstalks can be eaten boiled, baked or raw. They should be peeled first. The centre root core is particularly tasty. Rootstalks can also be peeled, dried and pounded into flour. Young shoots, white stem bases and new shoot bulbs are also edible raw or cooked. Bulrush pollen can be gathered

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