Hydrastis canadensis, Goldenseal in flower and in fruit.

Hydrastis canadensis, Goldenseal flowers in April to May, usually for a short period, 4 or 5 days. The red raspberry-look of the fruits, which mature in July to August, belie their insipid, unremarkable flavor. Some botanists argue for classifying this primitive outlier of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) as the monotypic genus in its own separate family the Hydrastidaceae. Found in rich mesic soils in the eastern deciduous forest from Vermont, south to Georgia, west to Arkansas, north to Minnesota. Long harvested for the herbal trade, in the outlying edges of its range it is too rare for harvest. Certainly, one of the most interesting American medicinal plants.



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