Has anyone noticed Bloodroot thriving in the company of Bladdernut? From an admittedly small sample size — two high-quality woodlands — I have seen these two species sharing space. I’m hoping to find Bloodroot next spring in some Bladdernut patches of a woodland I help as a steward.
Thanks for any insights or referrals.
cybrbeth
Interesting! According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database, they like similar habitats:
Bladdernut: Moist, deep woods; thickets; floodplain woods; Moist, well-drained sandy or silty loams; Shade
Bloodroot: Rich, deciduous, upland & floodplain woods; Moist to mesic, well-drained, humus-rich soils; Part Shade, Shade
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For what it’s worth, I don’t always see those two species together.
I’ve wondered about Bloodroot dispersal - the seeds are ant-dispersed, but the plant can be on one hillside and then the next population is a mile or more away (currently, at least). Since it’s a dye plant, I’ve wondered if Native Americans moved it around, but I’ve never had the chance to look in the literature to see if anyone’s looked at this.