''Coptis trifolia'', commonly known as the threeleaf goldthread or savoyane, is a perennial plant in the genus '' Coptis'', a member of the family

Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae (buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide. The largest genera are '' Ranunculus'' (600 species), '' Delphiniu ...

Distribution

It is native to North America and Asia across the subarctic region. Its range is divided into three broad groups. The first is from southern Greenland and Labrador that extends to Manitoba to the west and to the mountains of North Carolina to the south. The second is in Alaska and adjacent areas of British Columbia, extending towards eastern Siberia and into Japan and Manchuria. It is also found in Norway and central Russia. The disrupted and wide range of the species suggests that the three populations have been isolated from each other for significant periods of time. Goldthread seems to prefer coniferous or mixed canopies dominated by

Eastern hemlock ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It is the state tree ...

, but it has also been found in deciduous canopies in moist, acidic soils.

Description

Goldthread has at least one small, deeply three-lobed, evergreen leaf rising from the ground. It has between four and seven white, petaloid sepals, though no true petals. It has between four and seven clavate and numerous

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

. It is usually between five and fifteen centimeters tall, with each stalk having a single flower or three leaflets. Its fruits contain a number of small seeds. The name goldthread is derived from the plant's bright yellow rhizome.

Medicinal uses

The rhizome of the plant was chewed by Native Americans, including Algonquian-speaking peoples and the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

, to relieve canker sores, and is the source of another common name, ''canker-root''. It has also been used to make a tea that is used as an eyewash. Like the medicinal plant

goldenseal ''For the magazine from West Virginia see Goldenseal (magazine)'' Goldenseal (''Hydrastis canadensis''), also called orangeroot or yellow puccoon, is a perennial herb in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to North America. It may be di ...

, goldthread is used to treat symptoms of influenza and the common cold. ''Coptis trifolia'' has been shown to be

biologically active In pharmacology, biological activity or pharmacological activity describes the beneficial or adverse effects of a drug on living matter. When a drug is a complex chemical mixture, this activity is exerted by the substance's active ingredient or ph ...

against ''

E.coli ''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Esc ...

'' and ''

Bacillus subtilis ''Bacillus subtilis'', known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a Gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium, found in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, humans and marine sponges. As a member of the genus '' Baci ...

''. The active compounds of ''Coptis trifolia'' are the alkaloids

berberine Berberine is a quaternary ammonium salt from the protoberberine group of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids found in such plants as '' Berberis vulgaris'' (barberry), '' Berberis aristata'' (tree turmeric), ''Mahonia aquifolium'' (Oregon grape), '' H ...

and coptine.

Ecology

In 1963, a species of fungus in the genus Lambertella, '' Lambertella copticola'', was discovered growing on the dead leaves of a ''Coptis trifolia''. Species of the fungal genus '' Gloeosporium'' can infect ''Coptis trifolia,'' as well as other species of ''Coptis'', and reduce normal plant function. The slug '' Arion fasciatus'' also feeds on goldthread. Other external threats to ''Coptis trifolia'' include logging, fire, agricultural development, and human recreation.

Gallery

File:Coptis groenlandica.jpg File:Coptis groenlandica2.jpg File:Coptis_trifolia_1407.JPG, Blossom File:Coptis trifolia 1785.JPG, Foliage and seed pods

References

External links

rook.org

Image - Flavon's art gallery
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
trifolia {{Ranunculales-stub