| Threeleaf goldthread | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coptis trifolia, Pancake Bay, Ontario | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Coptis |
| Species: | C. trifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Coptis trifolia | |
| Synonyms | |
Coptis groenlandica | |
Coptis trifolia, commonly known as the threeleaf goldthread or savoyane, is a perennial plant in the genus Coptis , a member of the family Ranunculaceae.
It is native to North America and Asia across the subarctic region. [1] [2] Its range is divided into three broad groups. The first is from southern Greenland and Labrador that extends to Manitoba to the west and to the mountains of North Carolina to the south. The second is in Alaska and adjacent areas of British Columbia, extending towards eastern Siberia and into Japan and Manchuria. Records from Norway and central Russia are most likely based on confusion. [3] The disrupted and wide range of the species suggests that the three populations have been isolated from each other for significant periods of time. [3]
Goldthread seems to prefer coniferous or mixed canopies dominated by Eastern hemlock, but it has also been found in deciduous canopies in moist, acidic soils. [4]
Goldthread has at least one small, deeply three-lobed, evergreen leaf rising from the ground. It has between four and seven white, petaloid sepals, though no true petals. It has between four and seven clavate and numerous stamen. It is usually between five and fifteen centimeters tall, with each stalk having a single flower or three leaflets. Its fruits contain a number of small seeds. The name goldthread is derived from the plant's bright yellow rhizome. [4]
The rhizome of the plant was chewed by Native Americans, including Algonquian-speaking peoples and the Iroquois, to relieve canker sores, and is the source of another common name, canker-root. [5] [6] It has also been used to make a tea that is used as an eyewash. [7] Like the medicinal plant goldenseal, goldthread is used to treat symptoms of influenza and the common cold. Coptis trifolia has been shown to be biologically active against E.coli and Bacillus subtilis . The active compounds of Coptis trifolia are the alkaloids berberine and coptine. [4]
In 1963, a species of fungus in the genus Lambertella, Lambertella copticola , was discovered growing on the dead leaves of a Coptis trifolia. [8]
Species of the fungal genus Gloeosporium can infect Coptis trifolia, as well as other species of Coptis, and reduce normal plant function. The slug Arion fasciatus also feeds on goldthread. Other external threats to Coptis trifolia include logging, fire, agricultural development, and human recreation. [4]
Coptis is a genus of between 10 and 15 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, native to Asia and North America.
Symplocarpus foetidus, commonly known as skunk cabbage or eastern skunk cabbage, is a low-growing plant that grows in wetlands and moist hill slopes of eastern North America. Bruised leaves present an odor reminiscent of skunk.
Aquilegia canadensis, the Canadian or Canada columbine, eastern red columbine, or wild columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is an herbaceous perennial native to woodland and rocky slopes in eastern North America, prized for its red and yellow flowers. It readily hybridizes with other species in the genus Aquilegia.
Xerophyllum tenax is a North American species of plants in the corn lily family. It is known by several common names, including bear grass, soap grass, quip-quip, and Indian basket grass.
Arnoglossum atriplicifolium, the pale Indian plantain, is a perennial herbaceous wildflower in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). native to the central and eastern United States. It can reach heights of up to 3 metres (10 ft), with dramatic clusters of white flowers at the top of a central, unbranching stalk.
Grindelia squarrosa, also known as a curly-top gumweed or curlycup gumweed, is a small North American biennial or short-lived perennial plant.
Saururus cernuus is a medicinal and ornamental plant native to eastern North America. It grows in wet areas or shallow water, and can be up to about a meter tall. The native range covers much of the eastern United States, as far west as eastern Texas and Kansas, south to Florida, and north to Michigan and New York state. Saururus cernuus also occurs in Ontario Canada. It is an obligate wetland plant and able to grow in saturated soils.
Anemonastrum canadense, synonym Anemone canadensis, the Canada anemone, round-headed anemone, round-leaf thimbleweed, meadow anemone, windflower, or crowfoot, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae. It is native to moist meadows, thickets, streambanks, and lakeshores in North America, spreading rapidly by underground rhizomes. It is valued for its white flowers.
Viola sororia, known commonly as the common blue violet, is a short-stemmed herbaceous perennial plant native to eastern North America. It is known by a number of common names, including common meadow violet, purple violet, woolly blue violet, hooded violet, and wood violet.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin is the state botanical garden and arboretum of Texas. The center features more than 900 species of native Texas plants in both garden and natural settings and is home to a breadth of educational programs and events. The center is 284 acres and located 10 miles southwest of downtown Austin, Texas just inside the edge of the distinctive Texas hill country. It straddles both Edwards Plateau and Texas Blackland Prairies ecosystems.
Polygonatum biflorum is an herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern and central North America. The plant is said to possess scars on the rhizome that resemble the ancient Hebrew seal of King Solomon. It is often confused with Solomon's plume, which has upright flowers.
Coptis chinensis, the Chinese goldthread, is a species of goldthread flowering plant native to China.
Artemisia douglasiana, known as California mugwort, Douglas's sagewort, or dream plant, is a western North American species of aromatic herb in the sunflower family.
Asarum canadense, commonly known as Canada wild ginger, Canadian snakeroot, and broad-leaved asarabacca, is a herbaceous, perennial plant which forms dense colonies in the understory of deciduous forests throughout its native range in eastern North America, from the Great Plains east to the Atlantic Coast, and from southeastern Canada south to around the Fall Line in the southeastern United States.
Dulichium is a monotypic genus of sedge containing the single species Dulichium arundinaceum, which is known by the common name threeway sedge. This is an aquatic or semi-aquatic plant of the lakes, streams, and ponds of the United States and Canada It has a wide distribution across the two countries, though noticeably absent from the Dakotas and from the Southwestern Deserts.
Coptis teeta is a rare species of flowering plant in the buttercup family.
Rubus pubescens is a herbaceous perennial widespread across much of Canada and the northern United States, from Alaska to Newfoundland, south as far as Oregon, Colorado, and West Virginia.
Conoclinium coelestinum, commonly known as blue mistflower, mistflower, wild ageratum, or blue boneset, is a North American species of herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It was formerly classified in the genus Eupatorium, but phylogenetic analyses in the late 20th century research indicated that that genus should be split, and the species was reclassified in Conoclinium.
Liatris scariosa, called savanna blazing star, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Liatris, native to the US states of Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. It is fire-adapted, and its seeds germinate if they detect chemicals from plant smoke. It is a perennial herb that grows in dry woods and clearings. The Latin specific epithet scariosa means shriveled.
Coptis japonica, the Japanese goldthread, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to central and southern Japan, and introduced to Korea. In Asia it is grown for medicinal purposes, with the main alkaloid being berberine.
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