Opis:
Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot is one of the earliest of the ephemeral spring woodland wildflowers to bloom. It takes advantage of the sun available before the leaves close in the canopy. It has one brilliant white flower with 8 to ten petals on a single stalk and a second stalk with one single leaf. It may also have a double version of the flower with 16 to 20 petals. A single pistil in the center is surrounded by many bright yellow stamens. Indigenous peoples used this the acrid orange to red sap from the stem and root to dye clothes and baskets. The seeds are distributed through a mutualistic relationship with ants. The bloodroot seeds have an structure attached to them called an elaiosome that contains fats and other nutrients that are desirable to ants. The ants carry the seeds back to their nest, consume the elaiosome and discard the seed! This both spreads the plants seeds and places them in a suitable place to germinate.