Sanguinaria canadensis — Bloodroot

L.

Etymology

Sanguinaria: Combines the Latin sanguin for “blood” with the suffix aria, which means “pertaining to” or “connected to.”

canadensis: The suffix ensis is Latin for “belonging to,” which indicates this plant likely was first collected in Canada.

Pronunciation

san-gwin-ar-ee-uh can-uh-den-sis

Other Common Names

Black paste, blood root, bloodwort, bloodworth, boloroot, Canada puccoon, coon root, coonwort, cormroot, Indian paint, Indian plant, Indian red-paint, large-leaved bloodroot, large-leaved sandwort, panson, paucon, pauson, red puccoon, red-Indiana-paint, red Indian plant, red root, redroot, sanddragon, sang-dragon, sang de dragon, snakebite, sweet slumber, tetterwort, tumeric

Description

Life Cycle: Perennial. One of the earliest wildflowers, each plant produces a single inflorescence atop a flowering scape that emerges in early spring wrapped tightly by a basal leaf. As temperatures warm, the bud opens into a showy, but short-lived flower. Following pollination, the petals drop, and as the fruit ripens, the leaves continue to grow and persist into the summer.

Leaves: Each plant contains a single basal leaf, which emerges at the same time as the flower. Initially tightly-wrapped around the scape, it gradually uncurls becoming petiolate, round, typically 7.5–18 cm (3–7 in) in diameter with 3–9 palmate lobes, green above and whitish-green below.

Flowers: Bloodroot flowers, which average 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) in diameter, typically contain 8–16 white petals, with numerous yellow stamens, and one ovary. Below the corolla are 2 green to pinkish sepals, which drop as the flower opens. The flowers are insect-pollinated.

Fruit: The nearly round, somewhat flattened fruit is approximately 5 mm (3/16 in) in diameter and contains a single seed.

Key Characteristics: When identifying bloodroot, look for the following characteristics:

• Early (late March–April) flowering period
• Single white flower, often with 8 petals, numerous yellow stamens, and a single ovary
• Single basal leaf. Initially curled around scape and flower uncurling into round leaf with 3–9 lobes.

Similar Species: The flowers of twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) superficially resemble bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), but the former has fewer stamens (8), and the basal leaf is deeply cleft resembling two leaves.

Hybrids and Taxonomic Variations

Although the nursery trade sells several variations of bloodroot, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) currently does not recognize any subordinate taxa of Sanguinaria canadensis.

Indiana Range

Bloodroot is native to all of Indiana. However, no herbarium records exist for 13 Indiana counties. In Flora of Indiana, Indiana State Forester Charles C. Deam observed that the medicinal usage of bloodroot has resulted in it becoming less frequent (Deam 1940).

Habitat

Rich, mesic to moist woods.

Phenology

This chart represents the data collected from the GAIN WP project.

This chart represents the data collected from the GAIN WP project.

• Earliest open flower: Mary Lancing, Owen County on 21 March 2021
• Latest open flower: Steve Sass, Porter County on 27 April 2013

Uses

Functional: Bloodroot’s red root sap was used extensively as a dye by the Cherokee, Chippewa, Delaware, Iroquois, Menominee, Meskwaki, Ojibwa, Omaha, Ponca, Potawatomi, and Winnebago tribes. Typically prepared with other natural materials like wild plum, and mordants, including tannins found in oaks to stabilize and enhance the color, they created various shades of red, orange, and yellow dyes. The tribes used these dyes on their skin for general markings, as war paint for battles, and to stain reeds used for baskets, mats, and clothing (Moerman 1998). European settlers learned the dying techniques from Native Americans, and they also used bloodroot to dye clothing, principally wool. French colonists exported bloodroot to Europe for this purpose (Sanders 2003).

Other uses for bloodroot by Native Americans included using the root sap as a mixture for in insect repellent (Hardstadt 1999) and as a treatment for pregnant horses by the Abnaki tribe (Moerman 1998). More recently, in 1983, the Colorado-based company Vipont Pharmaceuticals added sanguinarine extracted from the bloodroot’s sap to their Viadent oral hygiene products for its plaque-fighting qualities (Sanders 2003). Sanguinarine does possess both antimicrobial and antifungal qualities, and initially, it appeared to be a promising compound for oral health. However, studies linked the ingredient to an increased occurrence of leukoplakia (white oral lesions). In 2001, Colgate-Palmolive, who had acquired Vipont 12 years prior, removed sanguinarine from their products. The Viadent brand is no longer on the market.

Medicinal: The numerous common names for Sanguinaria canadensis reflect the myriad of medicinal uses that Native Americans developed for the plant. The most widely used part of the plant was the root and root juices, which they prepared into decoctions, powdered concoctions, tinctures, tonics, infusions, and poultices. Various tribes, including the Abnaki, Algonquin, Cherokee, Chippewa, Delaware, Iroquois, Malecite, Menominee, Meskwaki, Micmac, and Ojibwa used bloodroot for the treatment of many ailments and conditions (Moerman 1998).

Among the uses that they developed for bloodroot were treatments for respiratory conditions, including asthma, colds, tuberculosis, coughs, consumption, congestion, and croup. They also used a medicine made from bloodroot to treat sore eyes and earaches, and they mixed bloodroot juice with maple syrup to relieve sore throats.

As a dermatological aide, Native tribes used bloodroot to treat burns, poison ivy, removal of thorns, splinters, cuts and wounds, ulcers, swelling, eczema, and ringworm (Moerman 1998). They also used it for general pain associated with cramps (Moerman 1998), and to treat snakebites (Martin 1993).

The treatment of gastrointestinal ailments included using the root for gas, hemorrhages, cramps, ulcers, constipation, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, and as a general remedy for stomach-related issues. Gynecologically, they used bloodroot as an abortifacient, for irregular menses, and as a prenatal strengthener. Venereal diseases, including gonorrhea and syphilis, were also treated with bloodroot, as were vital organs and their various ailments, including the liver, kidneys, heart, convulsions, and fevers (Moerman 1998).

A panacea for Native American medicine, bloodroot’s popularity led these native tribes to incorporate it into tonics used to purify and strengthen the blood, to fortify other medications, and to treat numerous general illnesses (Moerman 1998).

Landscape: Commercially available and relatively easy to grow, bloodroot performs well in mesic soils of shady woodland gardens. Colony-forming, the showy flowers are short-lived, but they provide early spring color and beauty. As the season progresses, the blooms are replaced by large leaves, which persist into the summer and add interest to the woodland garden.

Lore

Bloodroot sap was used in matters of love by Algonquin as a love charm, and the Micmac used it as an aphrodisiac. Ponca bachelors applied the root juice on their palm and then attempted to touch the hand of their love interest, thereby leaving a token of interest in the way of a stain. The Penobscot wore dried root pieces of bloodroot to preventive bleeding. The Iroquois burned the plant and used the smoke to cover the person who had seen a dead person and to treat ugly women (Moerman 1998).

Toxicity and Allergenicity

Bloodroot contains eight isoquinoline alkaloids, most notably Sanguinarine (Croaker et al.). Most concentrated in the rhizomes and roots, Sagnuinarine is toxic to animal cells (even fatal in large doses) and may kill skin cells when applied topically.

Hoosiers Places and Names

The names of the following places in Indiana are presumed attributed to bloodroot.

• The Salamonie River takes its name from the Miami word for bloodroot, which meant “yellow paint” (Baker and Carmony 1975). Bloodroot was likely abundant along the edges of the river, and a Miami chief of the same name lived near the mouth of the river (McPherson 1993).
• Salamonie Lake in Huntington County
• Salamonie State Forest in Wabash County
• Salamonie Township in Huntington County
• Salamonia, a town in Jay County, which was formerly named Lancaster
• Bloodroot Trail, a 13-mile hiking/biking loop at Salamonie Lake