Bloodroot - Sanguinaria canadensis

[McDonough]

I'm very interested in the various forms of bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis.  I don't have much in the way of bloodroot in my garden, but I hope to remedy this situation.  A couple years ago I went in "halfsies" (slang for splitting the cost) with a friend for a great pot full of Sanguinaria canadensis 'Multiplex'.

The distribution of this plant is quite succinctly eastern half of North America:
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=5418&flora_id=1

They're coming up now, and I'm fascinated by the early leaf-bud form, looking like little people wrapped in shalls, the enveloping leaves membranous and with raised veins, I also get the impression of bat wings wrapped tight around their resting bodies.  I hadn't noticed before, but the buds are initially tinged with pink. I am showing 4 views, taken in two different light conditions.






If others have photos of the other flower forms, please post them here, things like the "Tennessee Form".

[Lori S.]

Excellent photos, Mark!  Such a fascinating spring ephemeral.  It will be a long time until they emerge in my yard (and I only  have the species and a small 'Mulitplex' anyway) - I'm very interested in seeing the varied forms that people are growing.

Interesting that there's a little population in South Dakota, disjointed from the rest of the range.

[McDonough]

Thanks for the comment on the photos, my wife and I are sharing a new Canon Powershot ELPH 300HS camera; soooOOOO much better than my phone-camera.

The small disjunct South Dakota populations look to be in the Black Hills area.

The Calphotos link shows lots of variability, in both flower form and the leaves.  After the main page, click the link for the next 16 photos, there's one leaf form there that does a remarkable inpersonation of twinleaf or Jeffersonia diphylla, or use this link:
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0708+0847

http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-lifeform=any&rel-taxon=contains&where-taxon=Sanguinaria+canadensis&rel-namesoup=matchphrase&where-namesoup=&rel-location=matchphrase&where-location=&rel-county=eq&where-county=any&rel-state=eq&where-state=any&rel-country=eq&where-country=any&where-collectn=any&rel-photographer=contains&where-photographer=&rel-kwid=equals&where-kwid=&max_rows=24

[macjon]

Mark mentioned the 'Tennessee Form', which I find particularly lovely:



I'm starting to grow a few other (hopefully) distinct forms, namely 'Don Armstrong', 'Edith Dusek', a dwarf form (which is tiny indeed) from Aaron Floden, and another form that Aaron describes as a particularly vigorous collection from Hurtsboro, AL.

Mark, that's some remarkable foliage in the calphotos database--thanks for sharing!

[Lori S.]

Beautiful photo, Macjon!  That certainly is a lovely form, and I hope you will show the other ones you're growing as well.

[McDonough]

Thanks Macjon, I need to get the Tennessee form, I know that Garden Vision Epimedium has sold it in years past, but by the time I select all the epimediums I want, I'm already "in the red", and no money left for non-epimediums.

I just looked up the other forms you mention, and the one named 'Edith Dusek' is available from Far Reaches Farm.  Evidently Jerry John Flintoff found this particular form, which he named for Washington trillium expert Edith Dusek (I became friends with Mr. Flintoff when I lived in Seattle, and visited the wonderful garden of Edith Dusek). Here's the nursery link:
http://www.farreachesfarm.com/Sanguinaria-canadensis-Edith-Dusek-p/p1173.htm

[RickR]

My Sanguinaria canadensis 'Multiplex' has a pink tinge this season, too.  And also the first time I noticed: when I took this pic four days ago.  I am finding deeper color than "normal' in lots of things this spring - pulsatilla, pulmonaria, corydalis, cardamine.  I really don't understand why, because it has been so warm.

               

[Lis Allison]

Most interesting.... can someone explain what is different about the 'Tennessee Form'? It looks lovely in the photo, but how does it differ from the norm? It looks just like my native Bloodroot.

There is a pale pink form here. It is pinker in the bud than in flower, but is still clearly pinkish. I have a small plant and will post a pic once it blooms. It doesn't clump up very fast, not like the typical form. I've ordered a plant S. canadensis 'Multiplex' from Wrightman Alpines and really really really looking forward to finally having this. A wonderful thing, and blooms just when you really need it!

[Hoy]

Interesting thread. I tried to establish bloodroot in my garden for several years before I had luck with rhizomes from a friend and in somewhat heavier soil. I think one is the ordinary form and another the multiplax form. I'll take a look when I'm back home. They've stood ready for flowering for 10 days without opening the flowers due to lack of warm weather.

[McDonough]

Lis,

Typical bloodroot flowers have 8 petals (or 8-12 petals depending on the form).  The one called Tennesssee Form is one that has 12 or more petals, thus considered a semi-double.

Checkout John Lonsdale's bloodroot photo galleries Edgewood Gardens, amazing variability, and of course, all beautifully photographed.  He has some great photos of the pink form too.
http://www.edgewoodgardens.net/Plants_album/The%20Plants%20-%20%20Complete%20Collection/Papaveraceae/Sanguinaria/index.html

Two photos from the Alpine Garden Soiciety website (from John Lonsdale's photos) illustrate it well, in this link we see typical 8-petaled flowers, notice in outline they forma square profile.
http://www.thealpinegarden.com/sanguincantriple.htm

Here is the so-called semi-double "Tennessee Form, with 12-16 petals:
http://www.thealpinegarden.com/sanguinTNform.htm

Wow, look at this one on John's pages, it is called 'Paint Creek Double'
http://www.edgewoodgardens.net/Plants_album/The%20Plants%20-%20%20Complete%20Collection/Papaveraceae/Sanguinaria/slides/Sanguinaria%20canadensis%20Paint%20Creek%20Double%200003.html

[gerrit]

This is my Sanguinaria-form, in Holland called S.canadensis 'Flore Pleno'. Sometimes called 'Multiplex'.
Is it the same, Mark, as yours? I think I see little differences.

[McDonough]

This is my Sanguinaria-form, in Holland called S.canadensis 'Flore Pleno'. Sometimes called 'Multiplex'.
Is it the same, Mark, as yours? I think I see little differences.

I do think it is the same plant. There was a combination published in 1931 as S. canadensis f. multiplex, but the species is so variable and includes double forms, I don't think the name is recognized officially, thus the plant goes around as 'Multiplex', 'Fora Plena' or 'Flora Pleno".

Here's a web site with good information and some excellent photos:
http://www.sanguinaria.nl/indexEN.html

[cohan]

Lovely plants, though I prefer the singles, or maybe semi-doubles Pink would be cool!

I haven't got any yet, will have to watch for seed, I guess Kristl should have it.. I've noticed Richter's H erbs(Ontario) sells plants, not a bad price ...  Or, if you have more to spend, you can buy a bucketload of rootlets!

[Hoy]

Lovely plants, though I prefer the singles, or maybe semi-doubles Pink would be cool!

I haven't got any yet, will have to watch for seed, I guess Kristl should have it.. I've noticed Richter's H erbs(Ontario) sells plants, not a bad price ...  Or, if you have more to spend, you can buy a bucketload of rootlets!

Cohan, I agree (to your first statement in particular). As I have yhe common white and the multiplax-form, I will be at the lookout for pinks and semi-double forms However, it is not easy to get a bucketload of anything to this country

[cohan]

I can't afford the bucketload anyway-- I think they are expecting to sell those large amounts to  professional herbalists...