Sanguinaria canadensis by Holly Mansfield                                              (New England Wildflower Society)  January 20, 2010     Common name: bloodroot

This native American plant was named for the deep, red-orange juice hidden in its stem and roots. Its Latin name, “sanguinarius,” means “bleeding” and the Algonquin Indians named it “puccoon”, for “blood red.”

Bloodroot is one of the earliest flowers to appear in the spring, typically emerging in New England during the last two weeks of April. A woodland plant that thrives in full or partial shade and moist, humus-rich soil, bloodroot can be found all across the Midwestern and Eastern United States and Canada, from the southern tip of Florida west to Texas and as far north as Newfoundland and Labrador. Although bloodroot has been taken off the USDA list of threatened or endangered plants, it's listed as "exploitably vulnerable" in New York and "special concern" in Rhode Island. An “ephemeral” plant, bloodroot emerges, flowers, fruits, and dies back all within a 2-month period.

Bloodroot is a perennial of the poppy family (Papaveraceae) that reaches a mature size of 6–9 inches. It produces a single, white flower and a single, blue-green leaf on each stem. As the flower bud forms, it nestles inside its companion leaf, the leaf curling around the stem and bud until the flower emerges. Flowers have 7–12 petals and range in size from 1 to 2 1/3 inches in diameter. The flowers close at night and last only 1–2 days. Leaves are round and cleft.

Native Americans used the red juice of the stem and roots as a dye for baskets, clothing, and war paint. Bloodroot plants were documented in English gardens by 1680 and American colonists exported bloodroot to France for wool dyeing.

Native Americans also used the plant for various medicinal purposes, however, alkaloids produced in the roots are highly toxic so no part of the plant, but especially the roots and stem, should be ingested. When handling these rhizomes, it is advisable to use gloves and to wash your hands afterwards.

Although it has no nectar, the plant uses its bright, golden anthers to attracted pollinators—small bees and flies. The insects investigate and are fooled into transporting pollen from one plant to another.

The seeds are carried and dispersed by ants—a phenomenon botanists term “myrmecochory.” A glob of fat, called an “elaiosome”, is attached to the outside of bloodroot seeds. Ants find these elaiosomes perfectly delicious. They carry the seeds back to their nests, eat the elaiosomes and discard the seeds in a damp area or “midden” inside their nests where the seeds then germinate.

Bloodroot is a great groundcover to place beneath trees. It spreads rapidly and if allowed to self-seed, will produce dense colonies.

Home gardeners would do best to propagate from seed. Be sure to keep the seeds moist as they lose viability when they dry out. Prepare the soil by working in 1-2 inches of compost. Keep the soil moist by regular watering and feed the plants each spring with compost tea.

Propagation through division of rhizomes is also possible in early spring or late fall. Rhizomes should be planted horizontally, just below the soil line and covered with a mulch of shredded leaves.