Linnaeus Day: Bloodroot

I find spring to be one of the most fascinating times in the botanical world. Perhaps more dramatic in the north, as we crawl out from under winter (this year, we ran), the awakening of the sleeping underground helps us come alive, too. Each day brings a new gift.

Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) and Trillium sessile.

This year, it was almost like when Dorothy opened the door to her house after it landed in Oz. There was no transition into spring; we went from gray and brown to a rainbow of colors in an instant. We delight in this assault to our senses, but we mustn't blink or we'll miss something. These spring flowers aren't used to sustained temperatures in the 80s and they wilt under the heat.

Bloodroot

Last week, as I walked the woods and the banks of the creek near us, a small white spot caught my eye. I walked to get a closer look and the clasping leaf at its base told me it was bloodroot.

I'd never before seen it in this place that I'd walked a hundred times before. There was just one, though I knew in an undisturbed place such as this, there had to be more.




Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is an interesting plant. It's the only species in its genus and is found in the eastern United States and Canada from Nova Scotia to the Great Lakes, all the way down to Florida. It gets its common name from its orangey-red root that seems to ooze "blood" when it's broken or cut.

Flowers appear from March to May, before the foliage, which unfolds once the bloom opens. The blooms don't last long - just a day or two - when they're pollinated by small bees and flies. The seed pod then forms, matures and opens, and the seeds are dispersed by ants, which take them to their nests, where they remain until they germinate. This process is called myrmecochory.

Deer like to munch on these plants, so perhaps that's why I never noticed them before; the location where I found the bloodroot this week is a popular deer hangout. Bloodroot is ephemeral, meaning they only last for a short time and then they go dormant and disappear until the next spring.

Double Bloodroot
(S. canadensis forma multiplex)

There's a double form of bloodroot too (S. canadensis forma multiplex), which I have yet to add to my wildflower garden, but if I ever come across it at a nursery in my travels, you can be sure I'll buy it.

Bloodroot

Bloodroot in my wildflower garden

Botanical name: Sanguinaria canadensis

Zone: 4-9

Light: Light shade to full shade

Height: 6 inches and under

Bloom time: Late winter to early spring

Note: Bloodroot may be a protected species in your location.
Please check before relocating plants found in the wild.

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This post is part of the meme, Linnaeus Day, created by Christopher Tidrick (From the Soil). Each month on the 23rd, garden bloggers delve more deeply into the history and characteristics of a plant in their own gardens. Visit Chris's blog to find more Linnaeus Day posts.