Bloodroot in fruit

Already, bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is going to fruit here in the piedmont of South Carolina. Most bloodroot flowers successfully mature fruit because if cross-pollination fails to occur, the flowers can self-pollinate. Once the fruit (an elongate green capsule) matures, the ripe seeds are usually quickly carried off by ants which utilize a lipid-rich food body attached to the seed and drop the seeds unharmed, usually near their nests. So, when you see bloodroot, think too of the ants, which play a key role in dispersing the seeds of this plant.