Bear Grass (Western Turkeybeard, Indian Basket Grass)
Xerophyllum tenax
June 15, 1806, on the Weippe Prairie, Idaho.
At the top of a stout stalk that grows from a massive bunch of basal leaves bloom many tiny flowers in a dense, broad, white raceme. Leaves basal, approximately 1-2.5 ft (30-75 cm) long, very narrow. Flowers have flat petal-like segments about 0.4 in (1 cm) long. Height: to 5 ft (1.5 m).
Open woods and clearings.
British Columbia to central California; east to Idaho and Montana.
Native Americans used the leaves to weave garments and baskets and ate the roasted rootstock. Other common names for this plant are squaw grass, elk grass, turkeybeard, bear lily, and pine lily.
