20 



N. Ord. PAPAVERACE.E. 

 Tribe Papaverece. 



Genus Sanguinaria, Linn* B. & H. Gen., i, p. 53; Baill., 

 Hist. PL, iii, p. 112. The only species. 



20. Sanguinaria canadensis, Linn., Sp. Plant., ed. i, p. 505 



(1753). 



Blood-root. Red-root. Puccoon. Indian Paint. 



'igures. Barton, t. 2; Bigelow, t. 7; Nees, t. 407 ; Bot. Mag., t. 162; 

 A. Gray, 111. Gen., t. 49; Baill., 1. c., f. 128-9. 



Description. An herbaceous perennial with a horizontal sub- 

 terranean root-stock, giving off fibrous roots below, and termi- 

 nating in a bud, which expands into an erect scape surrounded by 

 one, or more rarely two, leaves, with several sheathing scales ex- 

 ternally. Rhizome about the size of a finger, cylindrical, fleshy, 

 coppery-red externally, brilliant red when cut, and filled with a 

 copious orange-red juice. Leaves on long, thick, orange-coloured 

 petioles, at first wrapped round the flower bud, and not growing 

 to their full size till after the flower has fallen ; then reniform, 

 5 inches wide, on petioles more than a foot long, palmately 5 9 

 veined, and deeply cut into 5 9 rounded, cut, and lobed seg- 

 ments, glabrous, pale green above, bluish-white beneath, veins 

 orange. Flower-stalk slender, upright, tapering, 4 6 inches 

 high, longer than the young leaf, cylindrical, terminated by 

 a single large erect flower. Sepals 2, ovate, very fugacious. 

 Petals varying in number from 7 14, usually 8, oval or oblong, 

 variable in width, blunt, about an inch long, spreading, quickly 

 falling, white or faintly tinged with rose, imbricate in two or 

 three rows. Stamens about 24, hypogynous, in several rows, much 

 shorter than the petals ; anthers narrow, dehiscing longitudinally. 

 Ovary linear-oblong, 1 -celled ; placentas 2, parietal ; ovules 

 numerous, anatropous, horizontal; style short; stigma 2-lobed. 



* Named from the blood-red juice of the root. 



