One of the pleasures of a late winter/early spring walk in the woods is spying the tightly-wound green leaf of a bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis) plant pushing its way through the frost-encrusted soil.
Joe Cook and Monica Sheppard
It must endure the cold temperatures of this time of year so the leaves stay curled around the stems to conserve warmth and do not fully expand until pollination occurs. Because insects so vital to the pollination process are scarce at this time of year, the bloodroot flower—which usually only lasts two to four day—has developed the ability to produce copious amounts of pollen. This helps ensure self-pollination if no insects happen by. To protect its reproductive parts, the flower closes up at night until pollination does occur. Within two to three weeks of that event, light green pods appear, which eventually split open and release the seeds for dispersal.
Bloodroot’s name comes from the red or orange sap which flows freely whenever its stem or root is cut or broken. Native American used the sap as an insect repellent, a treatment for rheumatism and ringworm, and a dye for clothing, baskets and facial paint. Today, several companies market toothpaste and mouthwash that incorporate ingredients from the plant to help fight plaque buildup and gingivitis, or gum disease. Several studies bear out this claim, but some have shown that it is effective only if users employ both the toothpaste and the mouthwash.
Flower Fast Facts
FLOWER: The one- to two-inch blossom has eight or more white to pinkish petals around a cluster of many sepals.
LEAVES AND STEM: A single, five- to nine-lobed leaf enfolds the stem when it first appears, but opens fully after the flower has bloomed. Persists into late summer.
BLOOM SEASON: March to May
About This Series
“Mountain Wildflowers” features a wildflower from the Blue Ridge region each month from March to October. Leonard M. Adkins has written for Blue Ridge Country for more than two decades and is the author of 20 books about travel, hiking and nature. His Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail, which received the prestigious National Outdoor Book Award, provides the photographs and some of the information he writes about in each “Mountain Wildflowers.” It and his other works may be obtained through his website.