Wildflowers of the United States

Home Journal Family Index - All States Photo Albums News About Privacy

Bloodroot, Red Indian Paint, Red Puccoon - Sanguinaria canadensis


Family: Papaveraceae - Poppy family Genus Common Name: Bloodroot Native Status: NativeDicot Perennial Herb
Sanguinaria canadensis - Bloodroot, Red Indian Paint, Red Puccoon. Sanguinaria is a monotypic genus - Bloodroot is the only species in it. It is one of about 60 - 65 species in the Poppy family (Papaveraceae) in North America. It is found only in North America. It is most closely related to Eomecon chionantha, a plant native to China which has the common name of Snow Poppy or Dawn Poppy.

Sanguinaria canadensis (syn. Sanguinaria australis) is a beautiful, white, early spring wildflower. Bloodroot gets its name from the red juice of the root, caused by the compound sanguinarine. While sanguinarine has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal characteristics, it can be toxic, so do not ingest it.

Found in:
AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV

Journal Articles Referencing Bloodroot

Leave comments on Sanguinaria canadensis at this link.
Sanguinaria canadensis

Distribution of Sanguinaria canadensis in the United States and Canada:
Map unavailable.
Map courtesy of The Biota of North America Program.
Map color key

Search Our Database: Enter any portion of the Scientific, Common Name, or both.
Scientific name:
Common name:

Example: Enter "lob" in the common name field and you'll get all our species that have "lobelia" in the common name, as well as "sharp-lobed hepatica".

Do a general Google search of the entire site:


#ad

Follow on Twitter
Follow USWildflowers on Twitter





#ad
Site: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA Date: 2009-March-07Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D60
1/200f/8 ISO100
Nikon Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm 4-5.6G ED
185mm (277 equiv)
Bloodroot blooms in the early spring with a beautiful blossom having white petals and many golden-yellow stamens. The green pistil is usually less prominent than in this photo, being hidden among the stamens.
Sanguinaria canadensis

Site: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA Date: 2009-March-01Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D60
1/125f/5.6 ISO100
Nikon Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm 4-5.6G ED
200mm (300 equiv) Flash: Yes
This is what Sanguinaria canadensis looks like as it first emerges from the ground in spring - a single leaf tightly wrapped around the flower bud, both on a single stem.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Sanguinaria canadensis

Site: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA Date: 2009-February-21Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D60
1/4f/8 ISO100
Nikon Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm 4-5.6G ED
200mm (300 equiv)
Once the leaf unclasps the flower bud, it rises above the leaf on its peduncle. Here you see the blossom's 2 sepals separating to expose the petals, which are pink at this stage, but will turn white as they open. The sepals will drop off soon after the blossom opens.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Sanguinaria canadensis

Site: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA Date: 2008-March-26Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D40
1/125f/5.6 ISO500
Nikon Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm 4-5.6G ED
200mm (300 equiv)
The bloodroot leaf stays close to the blossom with which it shares a stem arising from the rhizome. The 9-lobed leaf will continue to grow after flowering and may reach 8 inches across. The flower in this photograph has 15 petals, more than most. While some publications say bloodroot has 8-10 petals, I've found numerous plants with more.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Sanguinaria canadensis

Site: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA Date: 2009-March-09Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D60
1/125f/5.6 ISO180
Nikon Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm 4-5.6G ED
185mm (277 equiv) Flash: Yes
Numerous bloodroot leaf/flower stems can arise from a single plant rhizome, giving the apearance of a colony of plants.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Sanguinaria canadensis

Site: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA Date: 2015-March-16Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D7000
The flowering scape of Sanguinaria canadensis grows to about 8 inches tall, although it can be much shorter - I've seen the flower resting on forest duff. I've not seen any of them "straining for the sun" more than this one.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Sanguinaria canadensis

References used for identification and information:
#ad
Sanguinaria canadensis initially published on USWildflowers.com 2008-12-31; Updated 2017-03-04

Commercial / Cookie Notice

Looking for Wildflowers for a specific state? Check here:



All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2024
Photographs Copyright owned by the named photographer



Code Update 20230302