FNPS Plant Database

Lachnanthes caroliana

redroot
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

redroot

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Lachnanthes caroliana

Family:

Haemodoraceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

3 ft tall by 0.5 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white,yellow

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Winter dormant. Flowers summer-fall.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Groundcover or mass planting in moist areas.

Considerations:

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Easily spread by division. Can also be planted from seed (no cold stratification is needed). Seeds are available through the Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Somewhat moist, no flooding

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Lime Rock, Organic

Soil pH:

4 - 6.5

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies

Attracts bees, wasps, and butterflies. Documented bee species include  Agapostemon splendens, Augochloropsis metallica, A. sumptuosa, Dialictus coreopsis, D. tamiamensis, Anthidiellum perplexum, Anthidium maculifroizs, Coelioxys dolichos, C. mexicana, C. octodentata, C. sayi, Megachile albitarsis, M. brevis pseudobreuis, M. georgica, M. inendica, M. petulans, M. texana, M. xylocopoides, Melissodes coinmunis, Apis mellifera, Bombus impatiens, B. pennsylvanicus, Xylocopa micans and X. virginica krom beini (Deyrup et al. 2002).

This is a favorite food plant of feral hogs which will dig up large patches overnight.

Native Habitats:

Marshes, wet depressions, disturbed areas, cutthroat seeps, disturbed sites (dry muck), flatwoods.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Poisonous to humans.  

General Comments:

Flowers have yellow tepals but the inflorescence has abundant white hairs which provide an overall white aspect in the landscape. The species is named for its red roots and rhizomes.



Feral hogs love this plant and will dig up extensive areas to get the roots.  The plant in turn recovers quickly and new plants come up from the fragmented rhisomes.

Citations:

Deyrup, Mark, Jay Edirisinghe, and Beth Norden. (2002). The diversity and floral hosts of bees at the Archbold Biological Station, Florida (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Insecta Mundi, 544.


Rogers, George. (2019). Redroot Roulette (blog post). ( https://treasurecoastnatives.wordpress.com/2019/09/05/redroot-roulette/ ). Accessed 2026.


Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Traas, Pamela. (2001). Gardening for Florida's Butterflies. Great Outdoors Publishing Co., St. Petersburg, FL.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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