// SPECIES PROFILE · PERENNIAL · NATIVE

Bloodroot

Sanguinaria canadensis

Bloodroot opens single white poppy-like flowers in early spring as the leaf is still wrapped around the stalk; the rhizome bleeds bright red sap that Indigenous peoples used as dye. A short-lived spring ephemeral that goes dormant by midsummer.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Papaveraceae
Group: perennial
Native range: E. North America incl. eastern OK rich woods
USDA hardiness: Zones 3–8
Mature size: 6–10 in
Sun: Part to full shade
Water: Moist · humus-rich
Wildlife value: Bee-pollinated; ant-dispersed seeds (myrmecochory)
Ecological role: spring ephemeral · medicinal alkaloid · woodland gem

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) — *Sanguinaria canadensis*. Photo via Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons.

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Why it's on this list: spring ephemeral · medicinal alkaloid · woodland gem. Part of Rooted Revival's NE Oklahoma plant catalog — natives, ecologically positive non-invasive cultivars, and food crops worth growing in the Tulsa region.

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a shaded woodland understory, bloodroot pairs naturally with: american hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), american beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), american alumroot (Heuchera americana), and black cherry (Prunus serotina).

Combine bloodroot with the warm-season grasses listed above for a self-sustaining matrix.

Photo Reference

// Sanguinaria canadensis — bloodroot
Photo: runshigleyrun (iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC)