Bloodroot AKA Sanguinaria canadensis

This is one of the first flowers to bloom in my yard in the spring.  The plant grows in a woodland setting and though it is fairly common it always seems a bit of a surprise to see it.  The low growing plant has relatively large flowers with eight to twelve white petals and bright yellow stamens in the center.  The flowers first arise securely wrapped in a broad leaf.  

Bloodroot contains a red sap most concentrated in its rhizome. The sap is what gives the plant both its common name bloodroot, and its Latin name Sanguinaria. Sanguinarius means bloody in Latin.  The plant has had traditional uses in Native American medicine.  The red sap contains a high concentration of alkaloyds.  These have been studied and explored for use in modern medicine as well however to date nothing has been medically approved from those substances.  In fact, the sap is quite powerful and dangerous as it causes skin necrosis so don't mess with it!  

The flowers are beautiful, and their pollen attracts certain bees. The foliage is exotic looking especially when fully opened.  It opens fully after the flower fades.  The plant then goes dormant toward the middle of summer. Bloodroot has an interesting way of spreading called Myrmecochory.  The seeds contain an attached fleshy portion called an eliasome.  Ants transport the seed to their nests where they consume the eliasome then discard the remainder of the seed to their little "ant compost piles".  The seed is protected there in that rich soil until it germinates the following spring.  There is a cultivated double form of this flower that is especially prized, and though it is very beautiful, I am satisfied enough with the single version. It is one of the first signs of spring!