name: Alpine Sweetvetch

flavor_db_name_variants: alpine sweetvetch

source: foodb

status: draft

food_db_id: Alpine sweetvetch

id: 407

name_scientific: Hedysarum alpinum

description: Hedysarum alpinum is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name alpine sweetvetch. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring throughout the northern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. In North America it is widespread in Canada and the northernmost United States, including Alaska. This plant is a perennial herb producing several erect stems from its caudex. It grows to 70 centimetres in height. The taproot is thick and woody, and it has rhizomes which can produce new stems. The leaves are each divided into a number of leaflets up to 3.5 centimetres long. The inflorescence is a dense raceme of flowers. The flowers are pink or pale purple and up to 1.5 centimetres long. The flowers are pollinated by insects such as the bumblebee and honeybee. The fruit is a flat legume pod which is narrowed between the seeds, with as many as 9 segments. This plant generally grows in the boreal and northern temperate climates. It occurs in tundra and taiga habitat types, in floodplains, grasslands, and dry forests. It is well adapted to calcareous soils. It is usually not a dominant species but it is considered dominant in several river deltas and plains in Alaska. It is a pioneer species on floodplains that have been recently scoured by water and ice. It grows with willows and birches along waterways and in forests dominated by spruces. It grows on grasslands with grass species such as little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Canada bluegrass (Poa compressa), and American dunegrass (Leymus mollis). Alpine sweetvetch is an important source of food for many types of animals, including black bears, grizzly bears, American bison, moose, Dall's sheep, and caribou. Bears are adept at digging up the nutritious roots. The roots are a primary food for grizzly bears in some areas, such as Banff National Park. In parts of Alaska this plant is a primary food for Dall's sheep and caribou. Many small mammals, such as voles and short-tailed weasels eat it, and a variety of birds nest in alpine sweetvetch habitat. Native Alaskan peoples used and still use the plant for food, particularly the fleshy roots. The roots are said to taste like young carrots. The Inupiat people call the plant wild potato and obtain dietary fiber from the roots. Alpine sweetvetch is the most important food source for the Dena'ina people after wild fruit species. The Eskimo train dogs to locate stores of roots that have been cached by mice. The roots may be eaten raw or prepared in a number of ways, including boiling, roasting, and frying in grease. They are stored in lard or oil and eaten when other food stores run out.

itis_id: 26723

wikipedia_id: Hedysarum alpinum

picture_file_name: 412.jpg

picture_content_type: image/jpeg

picture_file_size: 320993

picture_updated_at: 2012-04-20T09:33:46.000Z

legacy_id: 439

food_group: Vegetables

food_subgroup: Root vegetables

food_type: Type 1

created_at: 2011-02-09T00:37:40.000Z

updated_at: 2019-05-14T18:05:24.000Z

creator_id: null

updater_id: null

export_to_afcdb: false

category: specific

ncbi_taxonomy_id: 57576

export_to_foodb: true

public_id: FOOD00407