Hydrastis canadensis, or golden seal, is a perennial herb from a thick rhizome with yellowish cell sap. It has two leaves, near the top of an unbranched stalk, that are 3- to 7-lobed. The flower is solitary, with many greenish-yellow to greenish-white stamens and pistils and no petals. The inedible fruit is berry-like, crimson. The plant has been cultivated commercially on a small scale in the mountains as a medicinal plant due to use of the rootstock as a digestive aid, insect repellent and yellow dye. It has been listed as endangered or of special concern in North Carolina. Habitat: Mesic (rarely drier), very nutrient-rich forests, with circumneutral soils, over calcareous or mafic rocks such as limestone, amphibolite, and dolostone, sometimes forming large colonies after canopy disturbance such as logging
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.