Goldenseal Essay

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Goldenseal plant is a plant that grows in the wild parts of United States and Canada but has recently become endangered due to overharvesting. Goldenseal plants have thick, yellow knotted rootstock. It has a purplish hairy stem above the ground and a yellow stem below ground. The plant has two palmate, with large hairy leaves that have about 5–7 double-toothed lobes and a single flowers greenish stamens on it at the top of it. Sometimes there may be a little berry at the top of it depending on the season. It’s commonly known as goldenseal or yellow root. The goldenseal is binomial name is the Hydrastis Canadensis L. It comes from the Ranunculaceae or the buttercup family .Goldenseal plant comes from H. Canadensis species. The order of the goldenseal is the Ranunculales. It falls under the Plantae or plant kingdom, the subkingdom of the goldenseal is the Tracheobionta meaning vascular plants, and under the subdivision of spermatophyte which are seed plants. The main division is Magnoliophyta which the flowering plants division. The phylum of the goldenseal is Magnoliophyta. The goldenseal plant fall under the class of Magnoliopsida which is Dicotylededons with the subclass being Magnoliidae. (Goldenseal) Hydrastis Canadensis or the goldenseal is a perennial woodland herb of North America. The shoot is develops from an underground yellow rootstock. (Fernald 1990) The rootstock consists of irregular knotting, a thick rhizome. In the early spring a single leaf emerges from the rootstock. Also a simple, hairy stem that may reach a height of about 36 -46cm above the ground is grown. The young stem grows covered with small fine hairs; however, at maturity it becomes hairless and smooth. The stem has small clasping scales at the point where it joins the rhizome.(Fernald 1990) At maturity, Hydrastis canadensis are typically grown and has three leaves per stem, two

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