Sanguinaria canadensis L. var. rotundifolia (Greene) Fedde
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Sanguinaria canadensis L. Bloodroot
Bloodroot is native to eastern North America. It is named for its bright orange roots, which branch and spread to form large colonies. An yellow-orange dye is made from the roots. Plants: 4½-16" (12-40 cm) high. Leaves: Each plant typically has a single leaf up to 4½" (12 cm) across, with multiple rounded lobes. They are bumpy on the upper surface, and the undersides are pale bluish green, with large raised veins. Young plants flower while the leaf is still tightly furled around the flower stem, like a sheath, even though the leaf is on its own stem. Flowers: White with a yellow center, with 8-15 petals, 6-10" (15-25 cm) above the ground, appearing from March to May. (Some cultivated varieties have doubled flowers, one right on top of the other.) The petals are variable, sometimes fairly narrow and sharp-tipped; others wider and more rounded. Fruits: Shaped like a miniature cone or ear of corn, about ¾-1" (1.9-2.5 cm) long. Medical: The reddish root sap is poisonous, producing a burning sensation on the tongue. By some accounts it is harmful to the skin. Native peoples used the root sap to treat rheumatism, asthma, fevers, bronchial ailments, and skin conditions. The sap was sometimes used as a face and body paint. The Ponca tribe believed it to be a kind of love potion as well. After applying some sap to their hand, they contrived to hold the hand of a maiden they wished to marry, and after a few days, she would do so. Today’s applications are more prosaic: an bloodroot alkaloid called sanguinarine is used in mouthwash and toothpaste as a plaque inhibitor. We don’t recommend that you use it for anything, though, since the FDA considers it “unsafe.” Online References:
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site References:
Multiple Authors, PDR for Herbal Medicines, Thomson Healthcare Inc., 2007, p. 113
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3/20/2012 · Gunpowder Falls State Park, Phoenix Rd, Phoenix, Maryland
3/19/2012 · Gunpowder Falls State Park, Cockeysville, Maryland
12/8/2020 · Middlesex Fells Reservation, Medford, Massachusetts · By Susan Cole Kelly
3/24/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
3/24/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
4/30/2013 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
5/3/2014 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
3/20/2012 · Gunpowder Falls State Park, Phoenix Rd, Phoenix, Maryland Sanguinaria canadensis description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 20 Dec 2020.
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Pink form. · 3/19/2012 · Gunpowder Falls State Park, Cockeysville, Maryland
4/22/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire
3/20/2012 · Gunpowder Falls State Park, Phoenix Rd, Phoenix, Maryland
4/23/2016 · Big Tree/Porcupine Trail, Beaver, Hollis, Massachusetts
7/29/2023 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts
4/23/2016 · Big Tree/Porcupine Trail, Beaver, Hollis, Massachusetts
7/29/2023 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts
4/28/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Groton, Massachusetts
4/30/2013 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts
4/22/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire
5/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts
4/22/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire
7/29/2023 · By Jacquelyn Boyt Range:
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