Red puccoon
Sanguinaria canadensis
Last reviewed: August 2026
Sanguinaria canadensis, or bloodroot, sends up white spring flowers in March and April in eastern and midwestern woodlands, then goes dormant as its leaves die back by midsummer.
Toxicity unknown
Red puccoon (Sanguinaria canadensis) is not listed by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (opens in new tab) or the other sources we check, so we have no verdict for it either way. Absence from those lists is not a clearance. If your pet shows symptoms after eating any plant, call the ASPCA at (888) 426-4435.
Light
part shade
Water
medium
Size
6"–12" H × 6"–12" W
Bloom
Mar, Apr
Native to
AL, AR, CT, DC and 33 more states
Pollinators
mining bees, small carpenter bees
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A spring ephemeral with a single scalloped blue-green leaf wrapped around a pure white flower that opens for only a few days. Foliage persists into summer in moist shade, then goes dormant. Grows from a red-sapped rhizome.
Growing Red puccoon
Grow Red puccoon in part shade and medium water. Mature plants reach 6 to 12 inches tall and spread 6 to 12 inches wide.
Wildlife value
One of the first woodland flowers available to emerging mining bees; seeds are dispersed by ants.
Common questions
- When does bloodroot bloom?
- Bloodroot flowers open in March and April, often before the surrounding tree canopy has fully leafed out.
- What pollinates Sanguinaria canadensis?
- Mining bees and small carpenter bees are the main visitors to bloodroot flowers, which offer pollen but no nectar.
- How much light and water does bloodroot need?
- Bloodroot grows best in part shade with medium, well-drained soil moisture, mimicking the dappled light of a deciduous forest floor in early spring.
- Does bloodroot stay green all summer?
- No. Bloodroot is a spring ephemeral forb, meaning its leaves and flowers emerge early and then die back to the ground by midsummer.
- What does bloodroot look like when it flowers?
- Each stem produces a single white flower with a yellow-orange center, wrapped at first by a curled gray-green leaf that unfolds as the bloom fades.
These answers were drafted with an AI model from this plant's data. Verify care details with a local expert.
Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists. Pollinator and host plant associations compiled from GBIF, iNaturalist, and published ecological literature.
If something looks wrong
Common plant problems, and what to check first
These come up on almost any plant. Each guide lists the likely causes in the order they are worth ruling out, with one thing to check before you act on any of them, and links to the source it came from.
- It is dying right after planting
- Leaves turning yellow
- Wilting even though I watered it
- Brown crispy leaf tips
- Bugs on the plant
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