Coptis trifolia

Coptis trifolia (syn. Coptis groenlandica), the threeleaf goldthread or savoyane, is a perennial plant in the genus Coptis, a member of the family Ranunculaceae. It is native to North America and Asia across the subarctic region.[1][2]

Threeleaf goldthread
Coptis trifolia, Pancake Bay, Ontario
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Coptis
Species:	C. trifolia
Binomial name
Coptis trifolia Salisb.

Note the golden-yellow rhizomes

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

The sepals are white and are easily mistaken for petals. The four to seven petals are yellow and club-like, and they are smaller than the stamens[3] which are numerous and thread-like with delicate anthers.

The long golden-yellow underground stem gives the plant its name. This portion of the plant was chewed by Native Americans, including Algonquian-speaking peoples and the Iroquois, to relieve canker sores, and is the source of another common name, canker-root.[4][5] It has also been used to make tea used as an eyewash.[6]

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  Blossom
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  Foliage and seed pods