Alpine French Honeysuckle, Eskimo potato
Hedysarum hedysaroides

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A herb that keeps growing from year to year. It has a long thick taproot. The stems are 25-40 cm tall. These have 2 or 3 flowering branches. The leaves are compound with small leaflets in pairs. The leaflets are oval or sword shaped. The flowers are in one sided clusters at the tip of the leafy stems. The petals are lilac-violet and about 1 cm long. The flowering stems have bristly hairs. The fruit are flat pods and constricted between single seed sections.

Where it is found

It is a cold temperate plant.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Korea, North America, Russia, Siberia, USA

How it is used for food

The roots can be baked, boiled or eaten fresh or frozen.

Edible parts

Root, tuber

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Unatak, Unataq

Synonyms

Astragalus hedysaroides L.; Hedysarum brigantiacum Bourn. et al.; Hedysarum obscurum L.; Hedysarum sibiricum Poir.; Hedysarum silicii Lakela;