Bee Plant: Rocky Mountain (Cleome serrulata)
$1.00 - $5.60
Rocky Mountain Bee Plant appears in the records of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, being discovered growing on the open prairie by Meriwether Lewis on August 25, 1804. Lewis entrusted his collection of flower species to botanist Frederick Traugott Pursh, who officially classified Cleome serrulata in 1817. In his diary, Lewis observes that the Native Americans would grind the seeds of this plant into flour, as well as boiling the rest of the plant for eating. This plant played an important part in the culture of many Native American tribes, being used for making dye for blankets and pottery as well as having numerous medicinal purposes.