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Lachnanthes carolina

Common name:	Red Root	Family:	Haemodoraceae
Author:	(Lam.)Dandy.	Botanical references:	1, 43
Synonyms:	Lachnanthes tinctoria ((J.F. Gmel.) Ell.)
Known Hazards:	Poisonous[4].
Range:	Eastern N. America - New Jersey and Rhode Island to Florida.
Habitat:	Sandy and peaty shores and swamps[43].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Gyrotheca capitata[H] Gyrotheca tinctoria[B,H,P] L. caroliana[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Carolina Redroot [P,B], Lachnanthe [E], Lachnanthes [H], Redroot [E], Wolbloem [E], Woll Narzisse [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Liliales. Bloodwort family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	France Germany Na Netherlands Us

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Astringent Cancer Homeopathy Narcotic Nervine Tonic.

The root is astringent, narcotic, tonic and nervine[4]. Taken internally it produces a peculiar form of cerebral stimulation and narcosis, it was often used as a narcotic by some native North American Indian tribes[4]. It is also used in the treatment of bowel complaints, coughs, pneumonia and the spitting of blood[61, 257]. A strong decoction has been used as a wash for cancer[257].
A homeopathic remedy is prepared from the whole fresh plant, harvested when in flower[4].

Other Uses

A red dye is obtained from the root[1, 4, 61].

Cultivation details

Requires a humus-rich loamy soil[1].
Plants are not quite hardy in Britain and are usually grown in a cold greenhouse[1, 4]. They will quite possibly succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country.

Propagation

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in spring in a warm greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring[1].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Lachnanthes caroliana (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Lachnanthes tinctoria (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Lachnanthes+carolina
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.