Natural Oakville - Bloodroot
Bloodroot is a perennial, flowering plant native to Eastern North America as far south as Florida.
Bloodroot flowers in woodlands from March to May. The underground root systems, known as rhizomes, branch out and can form a large colony.
The plant roots and stems contain a reddish-orange sap which is highly poisonous.
Ants feed on the fleshy part of the Bloodroot seed, thereby propagating future generations of Bloodroot.
Natives used the reddish sap as a dye and also as an herbal tincture for various ailments of the skin.
Bloodroot sap can be highly disfiguring to skin cells and it is recommended that the plants be handled with gloves.
Visit the various woodland parks in the Oakville region in early to late spring to see the beauty of Bloodroot in bloom.
©2010JoSmith
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Jo-Anne Smith, the author of this article, is a REALTOR® with Your Choice Realty , Mississauga, Ontario and welcomes your real estate inquiries. To contact her, visit www.oakville-burlingtonhomes.com |
Hi Jo,
Beautiful flowers. It seems I've seen it here in Minnesota, too.
hi Marzena,
Seeing them in the forest in early spring brings a new sense of hope to winter weary spirits...
Jo
Jo
Now I know where the name came from, once up in the escarpment I saw at least a whole field in those, what a sight!
Ty
Ty,
They are beautiful, aren't they?
Jo