Goldthread

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Scape. - Slender, three to five inches high. Leaves. - Evergreen, shining, divided into three leaflets. Flowers. - Small, white, solitary. Calyx. - Of five to seven petal like sepals which fall early. Corolla. - Of five to seven club-shaped petals. Stamens. - Fifteen to twenty-five. Pistils. - Three to seven. Root. - Of long, bright yellow fibers.

This little plant, Goldthread, abundantly carpets the northern bogs and extends southward over the mountains, its tiny flowers appearing in May. The four to seven sepals are yellow and club-like, and they are smaller than the stamens which are numerous and thread-like with delicate anthers.

It has one small, deeply three-lobed, evergreen leaf rising from the ground.

Its bright yellow thread-like roots give it its common name. This portion of the Goldthread was chewed by Native Americans to relieve canker sores, and therefore it is also known by another common name, canker-root. It was also made into a tea for use as an eyewash.