Hardy Planting Zone- Eastern North America
Bloom Season – From March to May, the leaves will unfurl and go dormant in mid to late summer.
Bloom Color – It sprouts blue-green leaves four to eight inches wide, 8 to 12 white petals, and numerous yellow stamens.
Height at Maturity – Up to 20 inches
Soil Type Preferred – Prefers moist, well-drained soil, will grow in dry thickets and woods, and near water.
Sun or Shade – It glows best in the shade or part shade, but it needs sunlight in the spring for the flowers to open.
Also known as Sanguinaria Canadensis, a poppy family member is known for its beauty and delicacy and functions as a groundcover plant.
It secretes red sap hence the name Bloodroot. A thick stem protrudes from the ground in early spring, containing the flower bud's leaf. Once unfolded, it reveals a flower that lasts just a few days, but the foliage remains until it goes dormant. The plant seeds are spread by and a favorite of ants that use them as a food source. Deer will also consume the plants in the early spring.
The white flowers the plant produces are a favorite of gardeners.
Native Americans used Bloodroot for its medicinal properties to remedy stomach and respiratory ailments. Modern herbalists continue to use Bloodroot extract for specific muscle, heart, lung, skin and dental issues, and even cancer. A dietary supplement is generally consumed in liquid form or applied directly to the skin, but organic Bloodroot tea powder is also available. The plant has commercial uses as well. Bloodroot extract is added to toothpaste to give it anti-plaque and anti-bacterial properties. Native American artists have used the plant's red sap as a dye for their work.
