Plant of the Week: Bloodroot

My sister-in-law and her husband recently bought a house. The backyard is heavily shaded and there is a stream running along the back property line. I checked out the flora growing back there when they moved in and the place is over-run with wild violets, though I did find a May Apple (fun!). This is their first spring in their new place, and a few days ago she discovered she has a small patch of bloodroot.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is a wildflower native to North America. It's name is derived from the red-orange sap that runs freely from the rhizome root when cut. When my sister-in-law cut the flower to bring inside, red-orange liquid came out of the stem. I knew about the abundance of sap in the root, but it never occurred to me that it would be in the stems as well.

(Since I didn't want to damage my sis-in-law's plants, the above pic is from on a Google search.)

Bloodroot grows in conditions exactly where my sis-in-law found hers: moist or dry woods and thickets, usually on the shores of a pond or a stream. The flowers in her yard are widely dotted in an area about 10 x 10 feet. This is common for this little flower, as the rhizomes spread to form a nice little colony. Hers are only growing where beams of sun are breaking through the trees and between the houses.

Fun Fact: Although bloodroot spreads most efficiently by the rhizomes, it also produces seeds. The seeds are tiny, black discs that ants carry back to their nests. This provides the seeds with a wonderfully rich growing medium and helps start new bloodroot colonies. That is why we found a single flower 20 feet away from the main colony. (see lower right corner of the picture below).

The flowers bloom between March and May, are a bright, clear white, and have approximately eight petals. The leaves are initially curled around the flower stem, making it appear like the flower is coming out of a cocoon. The flowers are quickly pollinated so the bloom time is short-lived.

Once done blooming, the leaves unfold completely. The leaves are a unique, heavily lobed oval and will lie parallel to the ground in shadier locations. Bloodroot will go dormant in summer, so they are what is called a spring ephemeral.