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This alpine tundra plant grows in drier areas on the open
tundra. It's other English name, Woolly Lousewort, was given
because of the characteristically woolly nature of the
flower stem. The pink flowers grow on a stout stem that is
only about 6 inches high. This is one of the earliest
flowers to bloom in the spring time. The small leaves are
serrated or compound, and are only about 2-3 inches long.
The plant grows from a long yellow taproot.
Debbie Amorak, daughter of Agnes Amorak, was the person who
told me about this plant. No one remembers the name so
Maggie Olson improvised the name, ipchuk,
meaning "bumble bee which is growing". Everyone called the
plant "bumble bee flower" because bumble bees like to visit
the plant when it is in bloom. Debbie said that when she was
young her brothers and sister and she would go for walks on
the tundra behind Golovin in the early spring. Not much
would be growing at that time and they would munch on the
flowers. She does not know of anyone else any more that eats
the flowers but it was a clear memory she had.
Eric Hulten reported that the roots of
ipchuk are eaten raw or boiled, but no one
I talked to reported this (Hulten, p. 916).
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