What is "puccoon"

Bloodroot \Blood"root`\, n. (Bot.) A plant ( Sanguinaria Canadensis), with a red root and red sap, and bearing a pretty, white flower in early spring; -- called also puccoon, redroot, bloodwort, tetterwort, turmeric, and Indian paint. It has acrid emetic properties, and the rootstock is used as a stimulant expectorant. See Sanguinaria.

Note: In England the name is given to the tormentil, once used as a remedy for dysentery.

n. 1 (context countable botany English) Any one of several plants yielding a red pigment which is used by the North American Indians, such as the bloodroot and two species of ''Lithospermum'', (taxlink Lithospermum hirtum species noshow=1) and (taxlink Lithospermum canescens species noshow=1). 2 (cx uncountable English) The red pigment (dye) obtained from these plants.

1. n. perennial plant of eastern North America having hairy foliage yielding a red or yellow pigment [syn: Lithospermum caroliniense]

2. perennial woodland native of North America having a red root and red sap and bearing a solitary lobed leave and white flower in early spring and having acrid emetic properties; rootstock used as a stimulant and expectorant [syn: bloodroot, redroot, tetterwort, Sanguinaria canadensis]

Puccoon is a common name that refers to any of several plants formerly used by certain Native Americans for dyes. The dyes were made from the plants' roots.

The name is derived from the Powhatan word poughkone.