Ornamental · Papaveraceae
Bloodroot
Sanguinaria canadensis
A fleeting white spring ephemeral for the shaded border, 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 opens the season as one of the first wildflowers to surface on the eastern woodland floor. Each spring a furled leaf rises around the bud and lifts a white bloom with a gold center over the leaf litter, then holds it for only a few days. That brevity is much of its appeal, a quiet event you have to be present for.
Its name traces to the red-orange sap that wells up when the rhizome is cut. The same sap carries sanguinarine and related alkaloids, which makes this a plant to admire at a distance and handle with care. Native peoples once turned it into a dye, and the color still marks skin and tools on contact.
Set it in the conditions of a forest floor and it asks for almost nothing in return. It grows slow but steady, drawing itself into a low colony over the seasons, then slipping underground by midsummer to sit out the heat. Plant it alongside ferns and the spot never reads as bare once it retires.
Care
The short version: give it part to full shade in rich, moist, humusy woodland soil, hold the ground evenly moist through spring, then let it go dormant and dry through summer without disturbing the rhizome.
Light
Bloodroot belongs in part to full shade, the kind of dappled light that falls through a deciduous canopy. It will take a touch of spring sun before the trees leaf out, but a hot, open spot dries the soil and ends the show early.
Water
Hold the soil evenly moist through the spring growing season, watering every few days when the weather turns dry. Once it goes dormant for summer it shrugs off dryness, so you can ease off altogether after the leaves fade.
Soil
Give it moist, humusy, well-drained soil heavy with organic matter, the sort that gathers under fallen leaves. A pH between 6.8 and 7.2 keeps it content, close to neutral, and a yearly topping of leaf mold suits it well.
Temperature
Bloodroot is cold-hardy and at ease from about 23°F to 75°F (-5°C to 24°C), spanning USDA zones 3 through 8. It welcomes the chill of a true winter, which it relies on to flower well.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity is more than enough, so there is no level to monitor. Steady soil moisture in spring counts for far more to this plant than anything in the air.
Feeding
It feeds itself in good woodland soil and rarely asks for more. A light spring topdressing of leaf mold or compost is all it wants, with a balanced organic fertilizer reserved for ground that runs thin.
Pruning
There is nothing to prune here. Let the foliage yellow and retreat on its own as the plant goes dormant, then lay a thin blanket of deciduous leaf mulch over winter to feed the soil.
Repotting
Bloodroot is rarely repotted and dislikes being disturbed. 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, rising just 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) tall. Each clump reaches 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) wide and knits slowly into a colony, so space new plants about that far apart.
When to plant
Bloodroot keeps the rhythm of the woods, and a planting rewards you for following it. Set out rhizomes in fall or early spring, look for the white flowers in March and April, and expect the foliage to retire by midsummer as the plant settles 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
Pests and disease seldom bother bloodroot, so most concerns come back to its own seasonal habits or a poorly chosen spot. Match what you see to the cases below before you assume something is wrong. More often than not, the plant is simply behaving as a woodland ephemeral should.
A planting that stalls instead of filling in
This is a plant of the shaded, damp woodland floor, and it loses momentum in too much sun or dry, lean soil. The other usual culprit is seed that dried out before it ever reached the ground. Resettle the planting into rich, moist shade and rely on fresh seed or fall divisions to expand the colony.
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
The plant fades from the bed by high summer
What looks like a decline is really summer dormancy, the natural cycle of a spring ephemeral rather than anything gone wrong. After it flowers and banks its energy, the foliage retreats and the rhizome rests below ground until the garden wakes again. Leave the spot undisturbed and tuck a layer of leaf litter over it so the soil never bakes dry.
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
Regard every part of the plant as poisonous in the garden. The whole plant holds sanguinarine and related alkaloids, with the heaviest concentration in the red sap of the rhizome, and they are harmful to people and animals alike. That sap also burns skin on contact, so reach for gloves before you dig or divide and set any cut pieces well out of reach of pets and children.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Toxic
A cat that gets at the rhizome or foliage tends to drool, vomit, and lose interest in food. The sap is rough on the mouth and stomach, so keep any cut pieces well beyond a curious cat's reach.
Dogs Toxic
A dog that bites into a dug-up rhizome usually drools and turns queasy, sometimes vomiting. The bright sap stings on contact too, so rinse a nose or paw that ends up smeared with it.
Horses Toxic
Grazing on the plant can bring on colicky stomach pain and leave a horse dull and off its feed. The same alkaloids that sting human skin are just as harsh on a horse's gut.
Rabbits Toxic
A rabbit's small frame copes poorly with these alkaloids, and even a light nibble can leave it drooling and refusing food. Treat the entire plant as off-limits near rabbits.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep usually steer clear of the bitter foliage, but any that do eat it can end up with digestive distress brought on by the sanguinarine.
Birds Caution
The irritant sap makes this a poor neighbor for pet birds, and the rhizome should stay away from them altogether. Wild birds, for their part, simply pass it by.
People Caution
No part of bloodroot is edible, and swallowing it can bring burning, nausea, and vomiting. The red sap is an escharotic that harms skin, so wear gloves and keep it clear of 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 chiefly as the wild species, though one named selection has found a place in shade gardens.
Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex (Plena)
A double-flowered selection layered with extra petals, its sterile blooms linger far longer in the bed than the brief few days a wild plant gives you.
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
Two routes lead to more bloodroot, and they sit at opposite ends of the patience scale: the quick split of a rhizome, or the slow wait from fresh seed.
DivisionModerate
Fall or early spring · 1 to 2 seasons
Splitting the rhizome is the most dependable route to more plants. In fall or early spring, lift a clump and cut the red rhizome into sections, each holding a growth bud, then settle them horizontally just beneath the surface. Allow a fresh division a season or two to find its footing before it begins to spread.
SeedDemanding
Sow fresh immediately after collection in late spring/early summer · Several years to flowering
Raising it from seed calls for real patience. The seed must never be left to dry out, so it goes in fresh the moment it is gathered in late spring or early summer. Each one wears a fleshy elaiosome that ants carry off and plant for you in the wild, and even when all goes well a seedling needs several years to reach its first bloom.
Myths
You can safely dab bloodroot sap on your skin as a natural way to take off moles or growths.
Sanguinarine is an escharotic, meaning it burns through and kills living tissue. People who have tried it on skin have come away with deep wounds and lasting scars. The sap is a corrosive irritant, not a home remedy.