Shrub Yellowroot or Yellowroot [Xanthorhiza simplicissima] photos were taken at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education,Pisgah Forest, NC on 16 April 2016. It’s the member of the Buttercup (Ranunculaceae) family, “the only species in the genus.” Timothy P. Spira’s Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains & Piedmont, pages 322-323, states that the flowers bloom from March to May, and bare fruit May through June, preferring moist, cool acidic soils of shaded stream-banks and wet, rocky ledges. It also says: “Yellowroot’s rhizomes contain a bright yellow, bitter-tasting alkaloid that yields a dye. It’s wide-spreading roots and dense cover help prevent stream-back erosion.”
USDA Plants Listing: Xanthorhiza simplicissima
Shrub Yellowroot in Pisgah Forest – 16 April 2016
Shrub Yellowroot (closeup) – 16 April 2016
Shrub Yellowroot Leaves – 16 April 2016
Shrub Yellowroot Detail – 16 April 2016
