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Bloodroot

Herbaceous Perennial Flower, Wildflower

Also known as Puccoon, Red Puccoon
Sanguinaria canadensis
Papaveraceae Family

An attractive addition to the shade garden or naturalized woodland site, this native has coarse, lobed, blue-green leaves and striking white spring blooms. (Some varieties have double-petaled flowers.) This plant gets its common name for its vivid red sap: a source of red dye traditionally used by Native Americans.

	Site and Plant Characteristics
	Growing Information
	Varieties

Site Characteristics

Sunlight:

part shade
full shade

Soil conditions:

requires well-drained soil
tolerates damp soil

Prefers soil that is rich in organic matter and kept moist but not soggy.

Hardiness zones:

3 to 9

Special locations:

rock gardens - Must be shaded rock garden.

Plant Traits

Lifecycle: perennial

Ease-of-care: easy

Height: 0.25 to 0.75 feet

Spread: 0.5 to 1 feet

Bloom time: early spring

Flower color: white

Foliage color: blue-green

Foliage texture: coarse

The heart-shaped leaves are lobed and scalloped.

Shape: cushion, mound or clump

Shape in flower: same as above

The flowers emerge individually from tightly rolled leaves.

Special Considerations

Special characteristics:

non-aggressive
non-invasive
native to North America - Eastern North America woodlands.

Growing Information

How to plant:

Propagate by seed, division or separation - Sow seeds in spring. Carefully divide the fleshy roots in early fall when the plants are dormant. When purchasing plants, be sure that they are not harvested from the wild, as native populations of bloodroot are threatened.

Maintenance and care:

Keep the soil moist but not soggy.
With time and proper growing conditions, the plants will form large colonies. After flowering, these will persists as groundcovers until the plants fade in late summer or fall. Plant late-growing plants to fill in the space left when the bloodroot fades.
More growing information: How to Grow Perennials

Diseases:

Cercospora leaf spot

Varieties

�Multiplex�: flowers are double, pure white, and very striking. Longer blooming than single bloom varieties.