Carolina redroot
ENEndangered

Carolina redroot

Lachnanthes caroliniana

Lachnanthes is a genus of monocotyledonous plants in the bloodwort family containing only one species, i.e.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lachnanthes

01Classification

Taxonomy & Classification

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Commelinales

Family

Haemodoraceae

Genus

Lachnanthes

Carolina redroot belongs to the family Haemodoraceae, order Commelinales, within the Liliopsida class.

02Description

Species Profile

Lachnanthes is a genus of monocotyledonous plants in the bloodwort family containing only one species, i.e., Lachnanthes caroliana (caroliniana), commonly known as Carolina redroot or bloodroot. The plant is native to eastern North America, from southeastern Nova Scotia and Massachusetts in the north, south to Florida and Cuba, and west along the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana. It has also been reported from an island in the western Caribbean off the coast of Honduras. It prefers wet, acidic, usually sandy soils, restricting it to various wetland habitats such as bogs, pinelands, hammocks and pocosins, among others.

Carolina redroot faces significant population declines primarily due to habitat loss from coastal development, agricultural conversion, and wetland drainage. Climate change and sea level rise pose additional threats to its specialized wetland habitats, while altered hydrology from human activities disrupts the specific moisture conditions this species requires.

Key Facts

IUCN StatusEndangered (EN)
GroupPlants
04Threats

Threats

!

IUCN Red List: Endangered

Carolina redroot faces significant population declines primarily due to habitat loss from coastal development, agricultural conversion, and wetland drainage. Climate change and sea level rise pose additional threats to its specialized wetland habitats, while altered hydrology from human activities disrupts the specific moisture conditions this species requires.

Habitat loss from coastal development

HighOngoing

Wetland drainage and conversion

HighOngoing

Agricultural land conversion

MediumOngoing

Altered hydrology from human activities

MediumOngoing

Sea level rise and climate change

MediumOngoing
Community

Community Sightings

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07Sources

Sources & Attribution

How to Cite

IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS

GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org

This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Carolina redroot (Lachnanthes caroliniana). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/carolina-redroot

Full citation guide & data usage terms