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Bistorta bistortoides

American bistort

Polygonaceae Western North America mountains

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterHigh

HardinessZones 3–7

Overview

Bistorta bistortoides is a clump-forming perennial of subalpine and alpine meadows in the mountains of western North America, growing 8-28 inches (20-70 cm) tall from a thick, contorted rhizome. Most of the foliage is basal: smooth, oblong to lance-shaped leaves 2-10 inches (5-25 cm) long on long stalks, with a few smaller leaves up the stem. In summer each slender, mostly leafless stalk is topped by a dense, oblong to cylindrical spike 0.75-2 inches (2-5 cm) long packed with small white to pale pink flowers, giving a bottlebrush look above the meadow grass. The flowers draw bees, flies, and butterflies in the short mountain season. After flowering the plant sets small three-angled seeds and dies back to the rhizome for winter. It depends on cool summers, snowmelt moisture, and open sun, and performs poorly in hot lowland gardens or dry soil. The thick rhizome stores starch and was historically eaten by Indigenous peoples and wildlife. Bloom is concentrated in a few summer weeks tied to snowmelt.

Native Range

Native to the mountains of western North America, from British Columbia and Alberta south through the Rockies, Sierra Nevada, and Cascades, in wet subalpine and alpine meadows, streamsides, and moist slopes.

Suggested Uses

Grown in alpine gardens, moist meadow plantings, and streamside beds in cool-summer climates. Used in mountain and bog garden settings where soils stay damp. Its need for cool, moist conditions restricts its use in hot or dry lowland gardens.

How to Identify

Recognize it by long-stalked basal leaves and slender, nearly leafless stems each topped with a dense, oblong white to pale pink flower spike resembling a bottlebrush. The packed spike combined with the high-elevation wet-meadow habitat sets it apart. The thick, twisted rhizome gives the bistort group its name.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height8" - 2'4"

Width/Spread8" - 1'

Reaches mature size in approximately 3 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Summer

Flowers open in summer, generally June through August, in a brief flush set by snowmelt and elevation. Each stem carries a dense spike of small white to pale pink flowers. Bees, flies, and butterflies visit the spikes during the short mountain season.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

White to pale pink

Foliage Description

Green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam peat

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-3 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Full sun and consistently moist, cool soil suit this mountain perennial, which grows naturally in snowmelt-fed meadows. It tolerates a soil pH from about 5.5 to 7.0 and needs steady moisture through the growing season. Hot summers, dry soil, and low elevation weaken the plant and shorten its life. It spreads slowly from a thick rhizome and self-sows where conditions stay cool and damp. Few pests trouble it in cultivation. The foliage dies back to the rhizome each autumn and re-emerges after snowmelt.

Pruning

Spent flower stalks can be cut after bloom, or left to set and scatter seed. Old foliage is removed in late autumn or left to die back naturally. No other pruning is required.

Container Growing

✓ Suitable for container growing

Minimum container size: 2 gallons

✓ Toxicity

Non-toxic