Why Bloodroot Might be Endangered?

Background

• The bloodroot is a member of the poppy family, and sports a lobed basal leaf, whitish flowers of seven or more petals in the early spring, and red-sapped rhizomes (the explanation for its common name). It favors moister soil of some acidity, found especially along river bottomland, wetland shores and hardwood forests.

Range

• Bloodroot is found across the U.S. Midwest, East and South, as well as adjoining portions of Canada. There is also an isolated population in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming.

Human Use

• Both American Indians and Euro-Americans have utilized bloodroot as a dye and for medicinal purposes. Some of the healing powers variously ascribed to it include reducing plaque, treating skin cancer and emetic properties, as well as for the treatment of external wounds.

Toxicity

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration classifies bloodroot as unsafe due to the presence of sanguinarine, a poisonous alkaloid. The purported medicinal effects of the plant are not universally accepted and its use may be dangerous.

Harvest

• Bloodroot is harvested from the wild and grown commercially. Data on the effects of gathering on wild bloodroot is lacking, but some authorities err on the side of caution: New York classifies the species as "exploitably vulnerable" and Rhode Island considers it of "special concern." The U.S. Forest Service reports the isolated population in the Black Hills potentially at risk from human harvest