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Imagine finding a plant so valuable that someone would trade you a horse for it. Not gold. Not silver. A flower. For generations, Native American tribes throughout the northern Rockies treasured the bitterroot. They planned seasonal journeys around its bloom, gathered its nutritious roots, and considered it one of the most valuable plants on the landscape. Today, that same resilient little flower represents the state of Montana.
This short video shares how the bitterroot became Montana's state flower and why this tiny mountain bloom was once considered valuable enough to trade for a horse.
Bitterroot
Bitterroot
Lewisia rediviva
The bitterroot grows throughout the western United States, especially in the dry plains, foothills, and mountains of Montana.
A few things that make it special:
Native to the American West
Blooms from spring into early summer
Produces delicate pink, white, or pale lavender flowers
Can survive for months without water and revive after rainfall
Its scientific name tells part of its story. Lewisia honors Meriwether Lewis, who documented the plant during the Lewis and Clark Expedition, while rediviva means "revived," referring to its incredible ability to come back to life after long periods of drought.
It's one of nature's great survivors.
Why It Became the State Flower
The movement to choose a state flower began after the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago encouraged states and territories to adopt floral symbols.
In Montana, a woman named Mary Long Alderson of Butte believed the state should have one too.
She organized a public campaign, and newspapers across Montana invited everyone to vote for the flower they thought best represented the state.
Unlike many states, voters weren't given a list of choices.
They could vote for any flower they wanted.
More than 5,800 votes were cast.
The bitterroot received 3,621 votes, easily defeating the evening primrose and the wild rose.
In fact, it was a landslide.
In 1895, the bitterroot officially became Montana's state flower.
It was a fitting choice—not only because it grows naturally across the state, but because it symbolizes resilience, endurance, and the rugged beauty of Montana itself.
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