bloodroot

[bluhd-root, -root]

noun

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

bloodroot

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bloodroot¹

First recorded in 1570–80; blood + root ¹

Example Sentences

“Make yourself useful and bring me the bloodroot from the cabinet. The powdered version, please.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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