Ornamental · Papaveraceae
Bloodroot
Sanguinaria canadensis
A fleeting white spring ephemeral for the shade, with a red rhizome best handled in gloves.
Partial shade
Every 3–7 days
USDA 3–8
6–10 in · 15–25 cm
Overview
Bloodroot is one of the first wildflowers of the eastern woodland spring. A single curled leaf pushes up wrapped around the flower bud, then unfurls to hold a clean white bloom with a gold center over the leaf litter. The flower lasts only a few days, which is part of its charm.
The name comes from the red-orange sap that bleeds from the rhizome when it is cut. That same sap carries sanguinarine and related alkaloids, so this is a plant to enjoy with your eyes and handle with respect. Native peoples once used it as a dye, and the color still stains skin and tools on contact.
Give it the conditions of a forest floor and it asks for almost nothing. It grows slow but steady, spreading into a low colony over the years, then vanishing underground by midsummer to wait out the heat. Pair it with ferns and it never leaves a bare patch behind.
Care
The short version: plant it in part to full shade in rich, moist, humusy woodland soil, keep the ground evenly moist through spring, then let it go dormant and dry in summer without disturbing the rhizome.
Light
Bloodroot belongs in part to full shade, the dappled light of a deciduous woodland. It will take a little spring sun before the trees leaf out, but a hot, exposed spot dries the soil and cuts the show short.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist through the spring growing season, watering every few days in dry spells. Once the plant goes dormant in summer it shrugs off dryness, so you can ease off entirely after the leaves fade.
Soil
Plant it in moist, humusy, well-drained soil loaded with organic matter, the kind that builds up under fallen leaves. A pH between 6.8 and 7.2 suits it, close to neutral, and a yearly topping of leaf mold keeps it happy.
Temperature
Bloodroot is cold-hardy and comfortable from about 23°F to 75°F (-5°C to 24°C), covering USDA zones 3 through 8. It welcomes the chill of a real winter, which it needs to flower well.
Humidity
Average outdoor humidity is plenty, so there is no figure to manage. Steady soil moisture in spring matters far more to this plant than anything in the air.
Feeding
It feeds itself in good woodland soil and rarely needs more. A light spring topdressing of leaf mold or compost is all it wants, with a balanced organic fertilizer only if the ground is thin.
Pruning
There is nothing to prune. Let the foliage yellow and die back on its own as the plant goes dormant, and lay down a thin blanket of deciduous leaf mulch over winter to feed the soil.
Repotting
Bloodroot is rarely repotted and resents disturbance. In a container, watch for fading vigor or crowded rhizomes shouldering up to the surface, and only then lift and divide it in fall or early spring.
Size & spacing
This is a low groundcover, reaching just 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) tall. Each clump spreads 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) wide and knits slowly into a colony, so set plants about that far apart.
When to plant
Bloodroot runs on the rhythm of the woods. Set out rhizomes in fall or early spring, watch for the white flowers in March and April, and expect the foliage to fade by midsummer as the plant slips into dormancy.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Fall or early spring
- Harvest: March to April
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 3–8
Temperature: down to -40°C
Troubleshooting
Bloodroot is rarely troubled by pests or disease, so most worries trace back to its own seasonal habits or the wrong site. Match what you see to the cases below before assuming something is wrong. More often than not, the plant is just doing what woodland ephemerals do.
Plants sulk and refuse to spread
Bloodroot wants the shaded, damp floor of a woodland, and it stalls in too much sun or dry, lean soil. The other common cause is starting from seed that dried out before it went in the ground. Move the planting into rich, moist shade, and propagate only with fresh seed or fall divisions.
Fix:
- Move or establish plants in part to full shade with rich, moist, well-drained soil
- Sow only fresh seed that has not dried out; divide rhizomes in fall or early spring
Leaves yellow and disappear by midsummer
This is summer dormancy, the normal habit of a spring ephemeral, not a disease. Once the plant has bloomed and stored energy, the foliage fades and the rhizome rests underground until next spring. Leave it be, and keep the soil from baking bone dry with a layer of leaf litter.
Fix:
- Allow the plant to go dormant; do not dig or discard the rhizome
- Keep soil from baking completely dry by mulching with leaf litter
Toxicity
Treat the whole plant as poisonous. Every part holds sanguinarine and related alkaloids, packed most heavily into the red sap of the rhizome, and they are toxic to people and animals alike. The sap also burns skin on contact, so wear gloves when you dig or divide, and keep cut pieces away from pets and children.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Toxic
A cat that chews the rhizome or foliage tends to drool, vomit, and turn off its food. The sap is harsh on the mouth and gut, so keep cut pieces well out of reach.
Dogs Toxic
Dogs that bite into a dug rhizome usually show drooling and an upset stomach, sometimes with vomiting. The bright sap irritates on contact, so wash a curious nose or paw if it gets smeared.
Horses Toxic
Grazing on the plant can bring colicky stomach pain and a dull, off-feed horse. The same alkaloids that sting human skin are no kinder to a horse's gut.
Rabbits Toxic
A rabbit's small body handles these alkaloids poorly, and even a nibble can leave it drooling and unwilling to eat. Treat the whole plant as off-limits.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep generally leave the bitter foliage alone, but any animal that does eat it can suffer digestive distress from the sanguinarine.
Birds Caution
The irritant sap makes the plant a poor choice around pet birds, and the rhizome is best kept away from them entirely. Wild birds simply ignore it.
People Caution
No part of bloodroot is food, and swallowing it can cause burning, nausea, and vomiting. The red sap is an escharotic that damages skin, so wear gloves and keep it away from children.
Wear gloves when cutting or dividing; the red-orange sap stains and irritates skin and eyes, so avoid skin and eye contact and wash after handling.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Bloodroot is grown mostly as the wild species, but one named form turns up in shade gardens.
Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex (Plena)
This double-flowered form packs in many extra petals and holds its sterile, longer-lasting blooms well past the few days a wild plant manages.
Companions
Bloodroot thrives among the other plants of the shaded woodland floor, especially ones that take over the space once it goes dormant.
Plant near
Trillium: Shares the same moist, humus-rich, shaded woodland conditions and blooms in the same spring window.
Ferns: Provide shade and cover after bloodroot goes summer dormant, filling the gap left by its dieback.
How to propagate
There are two ways to make more bloodroot, and they sit at opposite ends of the patience scale: quick division of the rhizome, or a slow wait from fresh seed.
DivisionModerate
Fall or early spring · 1 to 2 seasons
Dividing the rhizome is the surest way to get more plants. In fall or early spring, lift a clump and cut the red rhizome into pieces, each carrying a growth bud, then replant them horizontally just under the surface. Give a new division a season or two to settle in and start spreading.
SeedDemanding
Sow fresh immediately after collection in late spring/early summer · Several years to flowering
Growing from seed asks for patience. The seed cannot be allowed to dry out, so sow it fresh the moment you collect it in late spring or early summer. Each seed carries a fleshy elaiosome that ants haul off and plant for you in the wild, and even with everything right, a seedling takes several years to reach its first bloom.
Myths
Bloodroot sap is a safe natural remedy you can dab on skin to remove moles or growths.
Sanguinarine is an escharotic, which means it burns and kills living tissue. People who try it on the skin have been left with deep wounds and lasting scars. The sap is a corrosive irritant, not a home remedy.