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Xanthorhiza Marshall. Subfamily: Coptidoideae. Common name: Yellowroot.

A monotypic genus, a shrub, of temperate e. North America.

ID notes: An unmistakable plant, the woody stems usually about knee-high and unbranched, bearing a cluster of pinnate leaves near the tip, and the rhizomes with the bright yellow, staining, bitter-tasting alkaloid berberine.

References: Parfitt (1997e) In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (1997); Tamura (1993) In Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993). Show full citations.

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image of plant© Alan Cressler: Xanthorhiza simplicissima, Betty Creek, Hambidge Center, Rabun County, Georgia 1 by Alan Cressler | Xanthorhiza simplicissima source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Alan Cressler: Xanthorhiza simplicissima, Pickens County, South Carolina 1 by Alan Cressler | Xanthorhiza simplicissima source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Radford, Ahles and Bell | Xanthorhiza simplicissima | Original Image ⭷

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