Bitterroot is a small perennial herb in the family Montiaceae. Its specific epithet rediviva refers to its ability to regenerate from dry and seemingly dead roots.

Lewisia is a plant genus, named for the American explorer Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) who encountered the species in 1806. The native habitat of Lewisia species is rocky ground and cliffs in western North America. Native Americans ate the roots, which have also been used to treat sore throats.