Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District
Bloodroot
Sanguinaria canadensis
[C-value
6]
Poppy family (Papaveraceae)
Blooms mid-April - mid-May
The native Bloodroot is a common early spring woodland plant in our area. It needs some sunlight before the trees begin to form leaves. It thrives in fertile and loamy soil with average moisture levels. Habitats include rich deciduous woodlands, wooded slopes, edges of bluffs, shaded ravines and areas along woodland paths. This lovely perennial has only basal leaves, 3-5" across, each wrapped around the stalk of a single flower as the flower begins to bloom. The basal leaves unfold to their fullest extent, with a unique shape, as the flowers wither away. The round flowering stalk is about 3-4" tall when its flower begins to bloom. The flower is 1–2" across with 8-16 bright white petals.
Bloodroot at Hoover Forest Preserve April 25, 2013
Bloodroot with blooms just starting to open at Pickerill/Pigott Forest Preserve April 24, 2013
Bloodroot at Hoover Forest Preserve April 25, 2013
Bloodroot colony at Pickerill/Pigott Forest Preserve April 12, 2015
Bloodroot (leaves open after blooming) at Pickerill/Pigott Forest Preserve April 24, 2013
This plant's juices look like rusty blood; hence its common name. Some Native Americans used the juices for face painting.
Bloodroot seed pods at Farnsworth House May 13, 2017
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