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Sanguinaria canadensis Family - Papaperaceae - Poppy Bloodroot blooms in early to mid April here in southern Indiana. It inhabits the forested hills, its solitary white blossoms forming small colonies of plants in the leaf mould of the woodland floor. The orange-red sap in the rhizome, or tuberous root, is what gives this wildflower its name. The red sap in the root was used by the American Indians as a dye. They dyed baskets and clothing with it and it was also used for war paint. It is also useful as an insect repellant. The generic (genus) name, sanguinaria, is a Latin term meaning "bleeding". Bloodroot is aptly named. The species name, canadensis, was given to the plant by Linnaeus because the specimen he obtained came from Canada. It is the only species known within the genus. This wildflower blooms only in the sun, closing on cloudy days and at night. Bloodroot flowers are short lived, bloom time only a week or so from when blooming commences. The pure white blossoms provide the early spring forest with beauty. Bloodroot is a wildflower for the woodland, preferring the damp locales near a forest stream. Its flowers appear early, before the leaf canopy has developed. By May it has disappeared, dormant beneath the leaf mould awaiting the coming of another spring |
