Bloodroot (white flowers) and Muscari (purple flowers, also known as Grape Hyacinth)

We went for a mountain bike ride last week. It was good to be in the woods again. And wonderful to see new spring plants popping out of the ground. Most interesting is the Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis. It may also be called Indian Paint or Red Root. This plant with pretty white flowers appears from Nova Scotia to Florida and blooms from March to May. You’ll see it coming up thru the fallen leaves in shaded moist woodland areas. It is an endangered plant and should not be harvested in the wild.

Bloodroot has an unusual way to reproduce itself. It uses ants. The seeds have a fleshy part that attracts ants, who then take the seeds back to their nests. They eat this enticing outer part, and the remainder of the seed gets into their nest debris. This is the perfect place to hang out safe and fertilized until spring when they germinate. This process is called myrmecochory.

Native Americans used the root of Bloodroot as a respiratory aid, and also a body paint. There is a story that a young man would paint his palm red and try to shake hands with a girl of his choosing. In about a week she would want to marry him, according to the charm.

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Posted in native american wisdom, Nature, Photography, wild plants

Tags: bloodroot, canadensis, endangered plants, myrmecochory, Photography, Sanguinaria, spring, white flowers, woodland flowers