Common Name: Red Root

General Information

Lachnanthes caroliana is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a rhizomatous rootstock; it forms a clump of erect stems around 30 - 105cm tall with their leaves mainly basal[].
The plant is harvested from te wild for local use as a medicine and a food.
Lachnanthes caroliniana is sometimes a serious weed in commercial cranberry bogs within its native range[].

Known Hazards

Poisonous[].

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Florisa and Louisiana; Caribbean - western Cuba

Habitat

Sandy and peaty shores and swamps[]. Wet, acid, often sandy soil of bogs, swamps, ditches, low areas in savannahs and pinelands, margins of hammocks and pocosins; at elevations up to 600 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.70 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

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

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The root is astringent, narcotic, tonic and nervine[]. 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[]. It is also used in the treatment of bowel complaints, coughs, pneumonia and the spitting of blood[, ]. A strong decoction has been used as a wash for cancer[].
A homeopathic remedy is prepared from the whole fresh plant, harvested when in flower[].

Agroforestry Uses:

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

Other Uses

None known

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[].