Sanguinaria canadensis, bloodroot,[3] is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America.

[4] It is the only species in the genus Sanguinaria, included in the poppy family Papaveraceae, and is most closely related to Eomecon of eastern Asia.

[4][6] Products made from sanguinaria extracts, such as black salve, are escharotic and can cause permanent disfiguring scarring.

[4] If applied to the skin, the extract sanguinarine may cause a massive scab of dead flesh where it killed the cells, called an eschar.

[7] The leaves and flowers sprout from a reddish rhizome with bright orange to red sap.

[10] Bloodroot is native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Florida, and west to the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi embayment.

Sanguinaria canadensis grows in moist to dry woods and thickets, often on floodplains and near shores or streams on slopes.

[11] Some insects visit the flowers to collect pollen, including mining bees (Andrena), which are the most effective pollinators, and at least one beetle species, Asclera ruficollis.

The double flowers are made up of stamens that have been changed into petal-like parts, making pollination more difficult.

[8] The double-flowered cultivar S. canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Bloodroot was used historically by Native Americans for curative properties as an emetic, respiratory aid, and other treatments.

[25] Viadent, a dental product containing bloodroot, was withdrawn from the North American market due to concerns about its potential to cause cancer.

[4] Bloodroot is a red natural dye used by Native American artists, especially among southeastern rivercane basketmakers.