Sanguinaria canadensis

A plant is bleeding! Call the paramedics! Actually it’s not an emergency, it’s bloodroot, an early spring bloomer named for the red-orange juice that oozes from a cut or broken root. Still used as a natural dye for baskets and wool, native tribes used the juice to paint their faces and bodies. Despite its toxicity, it has long been employed as a treatment for skin and digestive disorders. The plant’s ripened seeds have a ridge of soft tissue (an eliasome) that attracts ants. When the seeds fall to the ground, ants cart them away, eat the eliasome, and discard the seed, dispersing the seeds throughout the woods.

Cool Link:

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) - species account with some interesting lore about the plant. Wildflowers on this site are arranged by name, family, flower color, and a useful wildflower key is also available.  (Main site: 2bnthewild.com)

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photo: Mike Dunn