Sanguinaria canadensis
bloodroot, red puccoon
Poisonous
Family
Papaveraceae
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Margin
entire, cleft, sinuate, subentire, undulate
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
reniform, orbicular, palmate lobed, suborbicular
Growth Form
forb
Flower Color
pink, white
Flower Petals
8, many
Flower Month
February - May
Height (meters)
0.1 - 0.4
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
perennial
Wetland Class
UPL
Habitat
Rich, deciduous, upland & floodplain woods; rocky soil on woodland slopes
Plant Uses
The red juice from the underground stem was used by Indians as a dye for baskets, clothing, and war paint, as well as for insect repellent. The generic name, from the Latin sanguinarius, means bleeding.