Smooth Rock Cress
- Sanguinaria canadensis • (Poppy family - Papaveraceae;
Poppy subfamily - Papaveroideae) •
Smooth Rock Cress - Sanguinaria canadensis • (Poppy family - Papaveraceae; Poppy subfamily - Papaveroideae) • This delicate flower is short lived and opens only in full sunshine. The underground root contains a reddish juice that accounts for its common and generic names (from Latin sanguinarius, meaning "bleeding").
The pale, lobed leaf embraces the stalk bearing the showy 8 to 10 petaled flower and does not fully expand until the flower has bloomed. 6 - 12 in. Rich woods. Native Americans used the juice as a dye for their basketwork.
