Bloodroot

While walking the sloping woodland trail today, I was lucky to spot these white flowers of the spring ephemeral Sanguinaria canadensis, commonly called bloodroot. It has this name because of the reddish orange sap found in its thick rhizome. Bloodroot can be found in the rich soils of mixed deciduous forests in most of the Eastern United States. The flower is short lived but the leaves continue to open and grow more interesting all season. This is a good native plant to consider if you are looking for some unique texture in a shade garden. Often bloodroot grows in massive sweeps but I have only found a few scattered in the woods at Habitat Home.