Xanthorhiza simplicissima

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:RANUNCULACEAE
Species:Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall
Common Name:Yellowroot; Brook Feather
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Shrub
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:XASI
Plant Notes:Yellowroot is a native deciduous shrub in the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It can be found throughout most of Alabama. Yellowroot occurs on stream banks and in low woods. It is a colonial low shrub from long slender rhizomes. The stems are erect, 1-2 feet in height, and usually unbranched. The outer bark is smooth and gray in color and the inner bark is bright yellow. The leaves are clustered near the ends of the stems. Leaves are petiolate, alternate, and 1-2-pinnately compound. Leaflets are sessile to short petiolate, ovate to rhombic in outline, with incised or serrate margins. The leaves turn bright yellow before falling in the autumn. Flowers are produced in axillary panicles. The radially symmetrical flowers have 5 purple-brown or greenish-yellow sepals, 5 purple-brown or yellowish petals, and 5 or 10 stamens. The fruit is a curved follicle. Yellowroot has been used by Native Americans and in folk medicine to treat stomach ulcers, colds, fever blisters, sore throat, and as a tonic and mouth wash. Dried rhizomes or jars of “yellowroot tea” are often available at farmers markets, rural grocery stores, and flea markets. An extract of the inner bark of the rhizomes is used to produce a bright yellow dye. Yellowroot is sometimes available from native plant nurseries. It can be used as a ground cover in low wet areas. Propagation is through division or cuttings taken from stems and rhizomes in mid-summer. It prefers a moist organic soil in full to partial shade.—A. Diamond.
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native, FACW- (NWI)
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyRANUNCULACEAE - Buttercup/Crowfoot family
Genus Xanthorhiza
Species Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall - Yellowroot; Brook Feather

Citation

Citation Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall, Arbust. Amer. 168–169. 1785.
Basionym: **
Type: **

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Xanthorhiza tinctoria Xanthorhiza tinctoria J. Woodhouse, Med. Repos. 5: 160. 1802, nom. illegit.Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall 1785. 
Zanthorhiza apiifolia Zanthorhiza apiifolia L'Héritier de Brutelle, Stirp. Nov. 79, t. 38. 1788.  

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, DeKalb, Elmore, Etowah, Franklin, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lawrence, Lee, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Morgan, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Winston

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, SAMF, TROY, UNA, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1874 - 1998

Barcode / Accession No.
County
Coll. Date
Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
AUA_ACC_46542 Autauga 27 Sep 1975 WILLIS, STEPHEN F.
41		 AUA
XANTHORHIZA SIMPLICISSIMA MARSH.
UWAL0046995 Autauga 11 Apr 2017 Parker, Matthew R.
597		 UWAL
Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall
TROY000046766 Autauga 11 Apr 2017 Parker, Matthew R.
597		 TROY
Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall
TROY000047718 Autauga 20 Mar 2018 Parker, Matthew R.
1557		 TROY
Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall
UNA00030846 Bibb 14 Apr 1986 Horn, Charles N.
1065		 UNA
Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marsh.
UNA00051051 Bibb 02 Oct 1995 Birk, Michelle
547		 UNA
Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marsh.
JSU129062 Bibb 31 Jul 1998 Whetstone, R. David
19610		 JSU
Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall
UWAL0052954 Bibb 11 Jun 2019 Keener, Brian R.
11377		 UWAL
Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall
SAMF0001516 Blount 09 Jun 1956 Avery, J.C.
s.n.		 SAMF
Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall
JSU129063 Blount 9 May 1977 Kral, Robert
59930		 JSU
Xanthorhiza simplicissima Marshall
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