Population Loss of Goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis L. (Ranunculaceae), in Ohio

Abstract

MULLIGAN, M. R., AND D. L. GORCHOV. (Department of Botany, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056). Population loss of goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis L. (Ranunculaceae), in Ohio. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 131: 305310. 2004.-Goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis L., is harvested from forests in the eastern U.S. for its rhizome, which is considered to have medicinal properties. While listed as rare or threatened in many states, its status in Ohio has not been assessed. To establish the status of historic goldenseal populations, we assessed 71 sites where voucher specimens had been collected from 1845 to 1998. Of these sites, 13% were deforested and no longer supported populations. Goldenseal was found on 65% of the remaining forested sites. Nearly half of documented goldenseal populations have become extinct, suggesting an overall decline of goldenseal in Ohio. The major cause of extinction appears to differ among Ecoregions, with deforestation important in the Eastern Corn Belt Plains, herbivory by white-tailed deer in Erie/Ontario Drift and Lake Plain, and overcollection in the Western Allegheny Plateau.