Bloodroot

Nature Reserve staff discovered a new species for Forest Park today. The plant is known as Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and is currently found is a couple small patches in Kennedy Savanna. Because the savanna was planted in 1999, and is not a remnant savanna, it is likely that these plants were introduced either as seed or planted. It is suprising that bloodroot has not been recorded from the Park before, as it is a fairly common component of rich woodlands and would be a naturally occuring member of Kennedy Forest. It has not been spotted in the Forest before, although Nature Reserve staff have introduced seed over the last couple of years in the hopes of getting a population established. Bloodroot is a member of the Poppy family (Papaveraceae). One of the most interesting features of bloodroot is that the flowers commonly emerge before the unusually-shaped leaves unfurl. Bloodroot has been traditionally dug as a medicinal herb, but contains an alkaloid known as sanguinarine that can destroy tissue and cause disfigurement. The common name of the plant comes from the reddish sap that can be predominately be found in the roots; however, given the relative scarcity of the plant and the toxic alkaloids, digging is strongly discouraged.