Ornamental · Papaveraceae
Bloodroot
Sanguinaria canadensis
A fleeting white spring ephemeral for the shade, with a red rhizome that asks only for gloves.
Partial shade
Every 3–7 days
USDA 3–8
6–10 in · 15–25 cm
Overview
Bloodroot is one of the very first wildflowers to greet the eastern woodland spring. A single curled leaf rises up wrapped snugly around the flower bud, then opens to lift a clean white bloom with a gold center above the leaf litter. The flower stays for only a few days, and that brief, generous show is part of what makes it so dear.
Its name comes from the red-orange sap that wells up from the rhizome when it is cut. That sap carries sanguinarine and related alkaloids, so this is a plant to enjoy with your eyes and to handle with a little respect. Native peoples once used it as a dye, and the color still stains skin and tools the moment they touch it.
Give it the feel of a forest floor and it asks for almost nothing in return. It grows slow but steady, easing into a low colony over the years, then quietly disappearing underground by midsummer to wait out the heat. Pair it with ferns and you will never be left looking at a bare patch.
Care
The short version: settle it into part to full shade in rich, moist, humusy woodland soil, keep the ground evenly moist all through spring, then let it rest and dry out over summer without ever disturbing the rhizome. It is more forgiving than it looks.
Light
Bloodroot is happiest in part to full shade, in the dappled light of a deciduous woodland. It will gladly take a little spring sun before the trees leaf out, but a hot, exposed spot dries the soil and cuts the show short, so lean toward the cooler corner.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist through the spring growing season, watering every few days when the weather turns dry. Once the plant slips into summer dormancy it shrugs off dryness without complaint, so you can ease off entirely after the leaves fade.
Soil
Plant it in moist, humusy, well-drained soil full of organic matter, the kind that gathers under fallen leaves. A pH between 6.8 and 7.2 suits it nicely, close to neutral, and a yearly topping of leaf mold keeps it content.
Temperature
Bloodroot is wonderfully cold-hardy and at ease from about 23°F to 75°F (-5°C to 24°C), which covers USDA zones 3 through 8. It actually welcomes the chill of a real winter, since it needs that cold to flower well.
Humidity
Average outdoor humidity is plenty, so there is nothing here to fuss over. Steady soil moisture in spring matters far more to this plant than anything in the air around it.
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 really wants, with a balanced organic fertilizer only if the ground is on the thin side.
Pruning
There is nothing to prune, which is one less thing to worry about. Let the foliage yellow and die back on its own as the plant goes dormant, and lay a thin blanket of deciduous leaf mulch over it for winter to feed the soil.
Repotting
Bloodroot is rarely repotted and would rather not be disturbed. In a container, simply watch for fading vigor or crowded rhizomes pushing 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 your plants roughly that far apart and let them fill in.
When to plant
Bloodroot keeps time with the woods, and that makes it easy to follow. Tuck rhizomes into the ground in fall or early spring, watch for the white flowers in March and April, and look for the foliage to fade by midsummer as the plant drifts 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 bothered by pests or disease, so most of your worries will trace back to its own seasonal rhythm or a less-than-ideal spot, and both are fixable. Match what you are seeing to the cases below before you assume anything has gone wrong. More often than not, the plant is simply doing what woodland ephemerals do.
Plants holding back and refusing to spread
If your bloodroot is sitting still, the fix is usually an easy one. This plant longs for the shaded, damp floor of a woodland, and it tends to stall when given too much sun or dry, lean soil. The other frequent culprit is seed that dried out before it reached the ground. Shift the planting into rich, moist shade, and from then on propagate only with fresh seed or fall divisions, and it will come around.
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 yellowing and slipping away by midsummer
Take a breath, because this one is good news. What you are seeing is summer dormancy, the natural way of a spring ephemeral, and it is not a sign of any disease. After the plant blooms and tucks away energy, the leaves fade and the rhizome settles in to rest underground until spring returns. You can simply leave it alone, and a light blanket of leaf litter will keep the soil from drying out completely.
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
It helps to treat the whole plant as poisonous, and that is an easy habit to keep. Every part holds sanguinarine and related alkaloids, packed most heavily into the red sap of the rhizome, and they are harmful to people and animals alike. The sap also burns skin on contact, so wear gloves whenever 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 curious cat that chews on the rhizome or leaves will often start drooling, throw up, and lose interest in food. The sap is harsh on the mouth and stomach, so the kindest thing you can do is keep any cut pieces well out of reach.
Dogs Toxic
A dog that bites into a dug rhizome usually drools and gets an upset stomach, sometimes with vomiting. The bright sap stings on contact, so if it smears a nose or paw, just wash the spot gently and you have handled it.
Horses Toxic
A horse that grazes on the plant can end up with colicky stomach pain and turn dull and off its feed. The same alkaloids that sting human skin are just as unkind to a horse's gut.
Rabbits Toxic
A rabbit's little body copes poorly with these alkaloids, and even a small nibble can leave it drooling and unwilling to eat. The safest approach is to treat the whole plant as off-limits.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep tend to walk past the bitter foliage on their own, but any animal that does eat it can come down with digestive distress from the sanguinarine.
Birds Caution
The irritant sap makes this a poor pick around pet birds, and the rhizome is best kept away from them entirely. Wild birds, happily, simply pay it no mind.
People Caution
No part of bloodroot is food, and swallowing it can bring burning, nausea, and vomiting. The red sap is an escharotic that damages skin, so slip on gloves and keep it out of reach of children, and you stay well clear of trouble.
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 there is one named form you may spot in shade gardens.
Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex (Plena)
This double-flowered form is crowded with extra petals, and its sterile blooms linger far beyond the handful of 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
There are two ways to make more bloodroot, and they sit at opposite ends of the patience scale: a quick division of the rhizome, or a slow, rewarding wait from fresh seed. Either one is something you can do.
DivisionModerate
Fall or early spring · 1 to 2 seasons
Dividing the rhizome is the most dependable way to grow your collection, and it is well within reach. In fall or early spring, gently lift a clump and slice the red rhizome into pieces, making sure each one carries a growth bud, then settle them horizontally just below the surface. Give a fresh division a season or two to find its feet, and it will begin to spread on its own.
SeedDemanding
Sow fresh immediately after collection in late spring/early summer · Several years to flowering
Growing from seed is the patient gardener's route, and that is perfectly fine. The seed must never be allowed to dry out, so sow it fresh the very moment you gather it in late spring or early summer. Each seed comes with a fleshy elaiosome that ants carry off and plant for you out in the wild, and even when all goes well, a seedling needs several years before its first bloom.
Myths
You can safely dab bloodroot sap on your skin as a natural way to remove moles or growths.
Please do not. Sanguinarine is an escharotic, meaning it burns and destroys living tissue. People who have tried it on the skin have been left with deep wounds and lasting scars. The sap is a corrosive irritant, not a home remedy.