It’s hard to write this post and not be reminded that I have, in fact, been asked to write a story for Goldenseal magazine and have yet to write it. This is the problem with having “no deadlines.”
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At any rate, my goldenseal plant has returned from its winter’s dormancy and put out its brief but interesting bloom for only one week in April. I was hoping to add another plant each year until I had a whole grove of the stuff, but the nursery where I bought the goldenseal last year did not have any this year. I am appreciating afresh how precious this plant is – not only is it endangered in the wild, but it’s hard to come by in nurseries, too. Last year, it was amazing that I even got the plant; it was the last one, and had been picked up, inspected, and rejected by various shoppers because it had 3 leaves rather than the customary 2, and it was identified only by its Latin name. Most of us, including the nursery worker who had been asked several times throughout the day to clarify the plant’s identity, don’t know that goldenseal’s Latin name is Hydrastis canadensis – one of its active constituents is Hydrastine, so that helps me to remember the herb’s proper name. I have to be honest, though – I didn’t know its Latin name for sure last year, and took a chance when I bought it!
I also took pictures of its white, fringed little bloom and will post those soon.
I don’t know how goldenseal makes more of itself, but I certainly hope it increases to produce more of these plants. I look forward to harvesting the roots someday in herbal preparations.
