What are some interesting facts about sego lilies?
The bulbs are eaten, and also gathered and stored by pocket gopher and other rodents. Western Indians deemed the bulb-like roots of sego lily a great delicacy. They taught the Mormon pioneers to use the bulb for badly needed food. This resulted in the sego lily being designated as the Utah State Flower. During the First World War the flower became a symbol of peace. Karl E. Fordham’s poem “Sego Lily” portrayed the plant as an image of home, mercy, freedom, and peace for the men and women of Utah who were serving on the battlefields of Europe. Few Utahns today have eaten a sego lily bulb.