Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Goldenseal

Hydrastis canadensis
A clumping perennial, reaching up to 1.6 x 3 ( rarely over 1 x 2 ) feet in size, that is native to rich woodlands and bottomlands in eastern North America ( from southeast Minnesota to Bayfield, Ontario to Toronto, Ontario to northwest Vermont to northeastern Mass.; south to far eastern Kansas to northern Arkansas to far northern Georgia ). It is not found south of Maryland on the coastal plain. The thick rootstock is yellowish. Goldenseal is critically endangered in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, New York State, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Kansas. It is endangered with extinction in the wild due to habitat destruction and medicinal poaching. In the Windsor/Essex County, Ontario region; it was locally common in western Essex County along the Detroit River during the 1800s. It was also abundant in old growth forest on the Ohio shore during that time.
The 5 to 9 deeply-lobed, Maple-like leaves, up to 7 x 12 inches in size, are deep green. The foliage turns to orangish-yellow during autumn.
The white flowers, up to 0.6 inches wide, are borne during mid-spring.
They are followed by red berries during mid-summer.
The roots are yellow.
Hardy zones 3 to 8 in partial to full shade on moist, humus-rich, well drained soil.

* photo taken on April 11 2010 @ U.S. National Arboretum

* photos taken on June 30 2013 @ U.S. National Arboretum, DC

* photo taken on Apr 17 2016 @ U.S. National Arboretum, DC

* photos taken on May 27 2017 @ Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna, VA

* photos taken on May 8 2019 in Gaithersburg, MD

* excellent video found on youtube

Interesting Article on Goldenseal on Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrastis

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