[Clark:]
Thursday [Tuesday] 21st of January 1806
Two of the hunters Shannon & Labieche returned haveing
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 oClock.
The root of the thistle called by the nativs Chan-ne-tâk-que
is pirpendicular and possesses from two to 4 radicles; is from
9 to 15 inches in length and is commonly about the Size of a
mans thum the rhine 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 use by the
same process before discribed of the white bulb or pash she quo,
qua-mosh, it becomes black and is more Sugary than any root
I have met with among the nativs; the Sweet is prosisely that
of the sugar in flavor, this root is Sometimes eaten when first
taken from the ground without any preperation; in this way
it is well tasted but soon weathers [withers] and becoms hard
and insipped. it delights most in a deep rich moist lome
which has a good mixture of Sand. The Stems of this plant
is simple ascending celindric and hisped. the root leaves,
posses[s] their virdu[r]e and are about half grown of a deep
Green. the Cauline leaf as well as the stem of the last Season
are now dead, but in respect to it's form &c. it is simple
crenated and oblong, rather more obtuce at it's opex than the
base or insertion, it's margin armed with prickles while it's
disks are hairy, its insertion decurrent and position declineing.
the flower is also dry and mutilated the pericarp seems much
like that of the common thistle it rises to the hight of from
3 to 4 feet.
