A correction

Recently, in my article “Gardening by Osmosis,” my fingers fumbled on the keyboard.

Arrowleaf balsamroot was referred to as arrowroot balsam. The yellow bouquets of the native Balsamorrhiza sagittata that grace hillsides, open meadows and forest edges have long been testimony to the longevity of plant.

Before people came from the East to claim the land, indigenous people harvested arrowleaf balsamroot.

Though all parts of the plant are edible, they are not necessarily palatable as the strong pine-scented sap is bitter. native americans used the sticky sap as a topical antiseptic for minor wounds. They boiled the roots for medicinal tea to treat tuberculous, whooping cough, rheumatism, headache and insects bites.

The large fuzzy gray-green leaves, which are sometimes as long as 12” and 5” wide, were used as poultices and agents to stop bleeding.

When other foods were scarce the long slender roots were baked in a fire pit, dried and pounded into a powdery substance to use as flour. The roots were also boiled and steamed.

Tender leaf shoots were peeled and the inner part was eaten raw. The seeds were roasted and eaten or ground into meal.

Not only were the properties of the Arrowleaf balsamroot appreciated by early foragers of the Inland northwest, the lovely yellow-gold flowers, leaves and stems are still food for sheep, deer and elk.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot, a perennial, is a member of the sunflower family.

Because of its long germination period which can be up to five years, and its long taproot, it isn’t a candidate for successful transplanting. Arrowleaf Balsamroot is best left in its natural environment. Once established however it is drought tolerant, weed resistant and does not need fertilization. Insect pollination is essential for seed production. And it is important not to use overhead irrigation during pollination. Though Arrowleaf Balsamroot prefers full sun it will tolerate partial shade conditions.

Arrowleaf balsamroot is native to our region and will not seed well or flourish in areas outside its natural environment.

Not everyone finds the colonizing quality of the Arrowleaf Balsamroot daisy-like yellow flowers appealing. And so they mow it down. This seems to do nothing to discourage the plant, because it is a hardy perennial, it reappears with even more vigor the following year.

What can be more spectacular than a field of bouquets of yellow-gold flowers in May?

Nature has a way of simplifying things. The more flowers, the more pollinators, the more bees, the more food.

—Margaret A. Swenson is a WSU Master Gardener. Reach her online at http:// spokane-county.wsu.edu/spokane/. Master Gardeners are also available at the Cheney Library 1st & 3rd Fridays May through October