Lewis: January 21, 1806

Wednesday January 21st 1806. Two of the hunters Shannon & Labuish
returned having killed three Elk. Ordered a party to go in quest of the
meat early tomorrow morning and the hunters to return and continue the
chase. the Indians left us about 12 O’Clk. The root of the thistle, called
by the natives shan-ne-tahque is a perpendicular fusiform and possesses
from two to four radicles; is from 9 to 15 Inces in length and about the
size a mans thumb; the rhind somewhat rough and of a brown colour; the
consistence when first taken from the earth is white and nearly as crisp
as a carrot; when prepared for uce by the same process before discribed of
the white bulb or pashshequo quawmash, it becomes black, and is more
shugary than any fuit or root that I have met with in uce among the
natives; the sweet is precisely that of the sugar in flavor; this root is
sometimes eaten also when first taken from the ground without any
preperation; but in this way is vastly in-ferior. it delights most in a
deep rich dry lome which has a good mixture of sand. the stem of this
plant is simple ascending celindric and hisped. the root leaves yet
possess their virdure and are about half grown of a plale green. the
cauline leaf as well as the stem of the last season are now dead, but in
rispect to it’s form &c. it is simple, crenate, & oblong, reather
more obtuse at it’s apex than at the base or insertion; it’s margin armed
with prickles while it’s disks are hairy, it’s insertion decurrent and
position declining. the flower is also dry and mutilad. the pericarp seems
much like that of the common thistle. it rises to the hight of from 3 to 4
feet.-