Bloodroot by another name may not be bloodroot after all

If the first hurdle to understanding the quillwork literature is figuring out what’s original and what’s reinterpreting earlier reports, the second hurdle is figuring out plant names. Many writers refer to dyes from plants and trees by these materials’ binomial names; the common names may or may not also be included. When earlier sources are cited by later ones, the later authors repeat these binomial names; occasionally, though, common names are used instead (presumably for ease of understanding).

The problem is that common names don’t always have a one-to-one correlation with binomials. For instance, consider bloodroot. Bloodroot is a North American plant that is often included in lists of plant sources for red quill dyes. Its binomial name is Sanguinaria canadensis. According to William Downey in his 1803 examination of bloodroot’s properties while in pursuit of a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, S.canadensis is known in the U.S. “as the puccoon, bloodroot, red root, Indian paint, turmeric, &c.” An inventory of commodities listed as growing or otherwise available (i.e., imported through Europe) in Virginia in 1621 includes “pocoon [sic] root” and other “berries for dies [sic] and drugs.”

This 15th century pocoon might be bloodroot: as Downey notes, S.canadensis can be a stimulant and a diuretic in addition to a coloring material. This double use would certainly fit with the description of a 1621 material useful for both dyeing and medicine. However, pocoon might also be Lithospermum carolinense, another North American plant listed as a red dye source. Even more enticing is a set of dyed porcupine quills in vials, in the collection of the National Museums of Scotland. These quills are from Canada’s Northwest Territory, and some of the vials are labeled with quills’ dye. One of the vials contains yellowish quills and is labeled, “turmeric.” Although it is entirely possible (maybe probable) that these quills really are dyed with turmeric, the fact that bloodroot is also known as puccoon and turmeric raises some very interesting questions!

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