bloodroot

American  

[bluhd-root, -root] / ˈblʌdˌrut, -ˌrʊt /

noun

1. a North American plant, Sanguinaria canadensis, of the poppy family, having a red root and root sap and a solitary white flower.

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bloodroot British  

/ ˈblʌdˌruːt /

noun

1. Also called: red puccoon.  a North American papaveraceous plant, Sanguinaria canadensis , having a single whitish flower and a fleshy red root that yields a red dye

2. another name for tormentil

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Etymology

Origin of bloodroot

First recorded in 1570–80; blood + root ¹

Example Sentences

The move cut off a valuable supply of river cane, bloodroot, sage and other plants, which can be difficult to find on the Cherokee Nation’s reservation in northeastern Oklahoma, on the border with Arkansas.

From New York Times

When Catoctin’s enslaved disappeared, they left behind their dead, simple field stones to mark their graves and the poisonous bloodroot flower in the cemetery underbrush.

From Washington Post

The rug, fashioned out of paper, was meant to look like dirt, and there were paper flowers, myrtle and bloodroot growing in it and climbing up onto Hillhock.

From New York Times

Thus bloodroot, or Sanguinaria canadensis, whose roots and rhizomes secrete a red sap when cut, was once thought to heal blood disorders and hasten wound healing.

From New York Times

Their lingering foliage offers a week or so of green respite — and then spring kicks in with effusions of dicentra, uvularias, bloodroot and trilliums, with some Italian windflowers and Virginia bluebells joining the party.

From Washington Post