WorldFloraDB - Hydrastis canadensis

Characteristics

Herbs , 15-50 cm. Rhizomes with tough fibrous roots. Stems erect, unbranched, pubescent. Leaves: basal leaf often quickly deciduous, 1; cauline leaves, 2, similar to basal. Leaf blade 3-10 cm wide at anthesis, to 25 cm wide in fruit; lobes variously incised, margins singly or doubly serrate. Flowers 8-18 mm wide; peduncle 5-38 mm, ± closely subtended by distalmost cauline leaf; sepals not clawed, 3.5-7 mm, glabrous; stamens strongly exserted, white showy, 4-8 mm; pistils 1-carpellate, distinct; stigma 2-lipped. Berry aggregates dark red, 10-15 × 8-15(-20) mm, each berry 5-8 × 1.5-5 mm. Seeds 1-2 per pistil, 2.5-4.5 mm.

More

Stem 2–5 dm, hairy, bearing usually one basal lf and 2 cauline lvs near the top; blades broadly cordate-rotund, 5-lobed, palmately veined, 3–10 cm wide at anthesis, later sometimes to 25 cm, the lobes incised, doubly serrate, short-acuminate; peduncle hairy, ca 1 cm; filaments 5–8 mm; 2n=26. Deep, rich woods; Vt. to Mich. and Minn., s. to N.C., Tenn., and Ark. Apr., May.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

herb

Growth support

-

Foliage retention

deciduous

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

-

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

0.25

Mature height (meter)

0.3

Root system

fibrous-root rhizome

Rooting depth (meter)

-

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

-

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

-

Environment

Rich shady woods and moist areas on woodland edges. Mesic, deciduous forests, often on clay soils at elevations of 50-1200 metres.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

Uses	drug dye environmental use experimental purposes medicinal ornamental poison
Edible	-
Therapeutic use	Antidiarrheal (root), Carminative (root), Ear Medicine (root), Emetic (root), Febrifuge (root), Gastrointestinal Aid (root), Heart Medicine (root), Liver Aid (root), Pulmonary Aid (root), Stimulant (root), Dermatological Aid (root), Tuberculosis Remedy (tuber), Cancer Treatment (unspecified), Dermatological Aid (unspecified), Dietary Aid (unspecified), Gastrointestinal Aid (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Eye Medicine (unspecified), Alterative (unspecified), Antiseptic (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Catarrh (unspecified), Cicatrizant (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Enterorrhagia (unspecified), Eye (unspecified), Hemostat (unspecified), Hemostatic (unspecified), Liver (unspecified), Metrorrhagia (unspecified), Mucous Membrane (unspecified), Stomatitis (unspecified), Uterotonic (unspecified), Wound (unspecified), Detergent (unspecified), Hemorrhoids (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Antiperiodic (unspecified), Aperient (unspecified), Apertif (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified), Medicine (unspecified), Stomach (unspecified), Repellant(Insect) (unspecified), Anti-bacterial agents (unspecified), Antineoplastic agents (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.

Mode	seedlings
Germination duration (days)	-
Germination temperacture (C°)	-
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-