Great Basin Spring Beauty (Claytonia umbellata)

Family: Portulacaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Claytonia umbellata is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in). It is in flower from April to July, and the seeds ripen in May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Roots/Tubers, Flowers

Harvest Seasons: Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer, Fall, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked. Flowers - raw. Roots - cooked. The globose tubers are up to 5cm in diameter. The native North Americans roasted them in sand before eating them. — Leaves - raw or cooked.; The globose tubers are up to 5cm in diameter.; The native North Americans roasted them in sand before eating them.

Habitat & North American Range

Exposed slopes, 1500 - 3400 metres in California. North- and east-facing talus and scree slopes of drier mountain areas, subalpine coniferous forests at elevations of 100 - 3000 metres. (Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)