[1] In the wild, it grows on the edges of streams in sandy soil under a canopy of dappled sunlight.

The leaves are spirally arranged, 10–18 centimetres (4–7 in) long, each divided into 5 toothed leaflets, and flowers emerge only from the upper portion of the unbranched stem.

[2] Wilson, who regarded yellowroot as one of the best plants for hardy deciduous ground cover, also described (in 1923) its use in the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University in Massachusetts.

[4] American Indians used the root tea for stomach ulcers, colds, jaundice, sore mouth or throat and as an astringent.

Berberine also stimulates secretion of bile and bilirubin and may be useful in correcting high tyramine levels in patients with liver cirrhosis.