Living history Meriwether Lewis and William Clark introduced 176 plants to science. We went looking for those discoveries along the trail. Today, the captains would still find the same plants, but they wouldn't recognize the places.

Special Feature  » Photo gallery  The 176 Aromatic aster Broad-leaved gum plant Broomweed Bushy atriplex Cut-leaved sideranthus Fetid rayless goldenrod Few-flowered psoralea Hoary sagebrush Indian tobacco Lance-leaved psoralea Large-flowered clammy weed Linear-leaved wormwood Long-leaved mugwort Missouri milk vetch Osage orange » The complete list

The Series  The Oregonian » In the flora: The story of the West Meriwether Lewis and William Clark introduced 176 plants to science. » The journey and discoveries begin Like Lewis, we launch in the Midwest and find Osage Orange » Plants of the prairie See the medicinal, commercial and troublesome plants the explorers found » Over the bitterroots A primeval forest, thick with peril and promise, almost defeats the explorers. » Restoring Idaho's bounty Two cultures coming together again to save traditions, habitat and native plants » "Ocian in view! O! The joy" From desert to coast, the Northwest is home to a wealth of botanical finds » More stories

The legacy grows: Lewis & Clark's Garden

Welcome to this special issue of HOMES & GARDENS of the Northwest dedicated to the 176 plants Meriwether Lewis and William Clark discovered for science.

Their botanical contribution is an easily overlooked story of their remarkable journey. In this issue, we tell some of that story.

It's important to acknowledge that while Lewis and Clark get scientific credit for introducing these plants, Native Americans knew of and used them first. In fact, the explorers learned of many of these plants — as medicinal and food sources, as canoes and shelter — from the Native Americans.

Likewise, we were helped in our search for the modern legacy of these plants. In particular, Richard McCourt, associate curator at The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, set aside a day to show us the Lewis and Clark Herbarium and has been an invaluable source of information. Lillian Pethtel of Kamiah, Idaho, who has devoted much of her life to studying Lewis and Clark plants, has been gracious with her time and knowledge.

When we started our search two summers ago, neither of us knew much about Lewis and Clark other than having vague memories of what we studied in fifth grade.

We pronounced Sacagawea wrong. (Suh-CAH-gah-wee-a is how the Shoshone say her name.) And forget about pronouncing Weippe Prairie (it's WEE-ipe).

Following the trail of plants from St. Louis to Astoria — plants we can still see, touch and collect — brought Lewis and Clark to life. We've added their plants to our own yards, and we've started our own herbariums.

We hope this issue does the same for you.

—JOLENE KRAWCZAK AND JOAN CARLIN