Pinnately compound leaves with leathery, hollylike leaflets on stems ending in dense, branched clusters of small yellow flowers about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) wide. Height: to 7 ft (2 m).
Semi-open lowland forests.
Western Canada south to California and Idaho; also in Great Lakes region, south to Kentucky and New Jersey.
This stout shrub is the state flower of Oregon. Native Americans made a yellow dye from the bark and wood of this shrubby species. Also known as ground potatoes, these plants were a vital food source for Plains tribes. The starchy, tuberous root was boiled and mashed, or dried and pounded into meal.
