Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata)

Photographed along the North Cascades highway west of Winthrop, Washington, this plant and other Balsamroots were in bloom everywhere.

These plants are called balsamroots for two reasons, first, the sap is antiseptic and was used for that purpose by the Indians, and second, the roots, though edible, have a pine-scented flavor. The plants were used for food by the Indians who made a flour from the roots when other food was scare.