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 Virginia Living Museum
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
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Height: |
5-12 inches |
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Light: |
Sun to partial shade |
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Soil Type: |
Moist, well-drained soil |
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Bloom Time: |
March-May |
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Flower Color: |
White with yellow stamen |
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Foliage: |
Leaves grow rapidly after flowers die
and persist until late summer |  Bloodroot does indeed have reddish-orange roots (rhizomes) from which red juice can be extracted. This juice was once used for body paint and dye by early Native Americans. It is also currently being researched for its medicinal properties.
Although Bloodroot will grow fine in shady areas, it needs to be planted where it will receive sunlight in the early part of spring, otherwise flowering may be inhibited. Exquisite fragile blossoms are a spring treasure: velvety white petals surrounding masses of golden stamens are each subtended by distinctively shaped waxy, gray-green leaves.
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