Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Ranunculales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (5/21/15):
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Yellowroot from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 076-01-001:
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Xanthorrhiza simplicissima
COMMON NAME:
Yellowroot
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_xasi_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm0403o_31
March Greenville County SC
Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve
Leaves alternate, clustered together at top of a usually unbranched erect stem, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm0503b_07
March Greenville County SC
Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm0503b_28
March Greenville County SC
Jones Gap State Park
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Keith Bradley kab_x_simplicissima_0548
April Henderson County NC
Pisgah National Forest
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Keith Bradley kab_x_simplicissima_0561
April Henderson County NC
Pisgah National Forest
Purple flowers in drooping racemes 2-3" long, per Newcomb's Wildflower Guide.
)
Steve Marlow snm100404_151
April Greenville County SC
Jones Gap State Park
)
Steve Marlow snm100404_153
April Greenville County SC
Jones Gap State Park
Petals are absent. There are 5 maroon, ovate, acuminate sepals, 2-5mm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
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JK Marlow jkm0305r_22
May Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
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JK Marlow jkm160502_081
May Macon County NC
Twigs moderately stout, lenticellate, with bright yellow inner bark, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide.
)
JK Marlow jkm0511c_35
November Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (5/21/15):
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 076-01-001:
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
FAMILY
Ranunculaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Xanthorrhiza simplicissima
1679
Shrub
Perennial
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Habitat: Streambanks and riverbanks, less typically in moist rocky forests, per Weakley's Flora
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Odd-pinnately compound: 3-5 leaflets
Alternate
FLOWER:
Winter/Spring
Maroon
5 sepals
Petals absent
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Yellowish
Aggregate of follicles
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee p266
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC p123
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p137
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast p058
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide p320
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition p070
- Wildflowers of Tennessee p044
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians p065
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge p13
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont p322
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide p381
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains p044
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region p266