Native Plant Spotlight: Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis

I am a fan of native plants because to me they just make sense. Native plants are food for the local ecology and they are adapted to local soils. While I also enjoy horticultural varieties of some plants, my love of natives continues to grow. When I studied herbal medicine one of my favorite medicinals (and native wildflowers) was bloodroot. Every spring I loved (and still do) to go out to the woods, close to streams, where it grows and find out if its up and in bloom yet. You have to pay attention because when bloodroot blooms it blooms quickly. Its a magical feeling every year when I have been checking every few days and then BAM! there it is. Even my husband gets excited about looking for it.

Bloodroot provides pollen for native bees and is mostly deer resistant. It is an endangered wildflower so I have enjoyed spreading the word about planting it in your gardens. You can purchase the rhizome and plant it in a moist, shady area in your garden. The flower stalk with the closed inflorescence pops up first with the leaf curled around the stem.

Bloodroot first emergence

Next the flower opens up and it is such a beautiful sight. Since this plant spreads mostly by rhizome there are usually large clumps of bloodroot displaying gorgeous flowers at once. It can be inconspicuous at first when spotted blooming. I see one then all of a sudden I realize there is bloodroot sprinkled everywhere across the forest floor. It’s really an amazing experience.

Bloodroot in Bloom

One note of interest from Carol Gracie’s book Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast, the seeds of Bloodroot have an elaiosome, the aroma of which attracts ants. The ants pick up the seeds and disperse them after they eat the elaiosome.

Eliaosomes on bloodroot seeds- food for ants

In the fall or winter you can dig the rhizome and break off an ‘eye’ to share with a gardener friend. Just pop the new piece into the ground and you’ll have another bloodroot plant! Please don’t dig this plant in the wild since its endangered.

One interesting variety of bloodroot is the double bloodroot pictured here. It is gorgeous but I have to say that I am partial to the good old fashioned Bloodroot!

Sanguinaria canadensis ‘multiplex’ or ‘plena’

Bloodroot is used medicinally for chronic bronchitis and topically as an escharotic. I used it once to remove a wart on one of my roommates parents finger! It does contain toxic alkaloids so its not commonly used unless under the advice of a professional herbalist. As an herbalist, gardener and lover of natives this plant fills many goals in my garden: medicinal, native, endangered, pollinator food, gorgeous, low maintenance, deer resistant, good for shade!

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