Goldthread (Coptis trifolia)

Family: Ranunculaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

A good forest garden plant. Coptis trifolia subsp. groenlandica (Oeder) Hultén is a smaller subspecies of Coptis trifolia growing to 2-4" (5-10cm).

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Fall, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

flavour and a yellow colour to the beverage. — The whole plant is said to be eaten, or it can be mixed with sassafras-root bark and Irish moss and brewed into a kind of herbal root beer.; This plant contributes a bitter flavour and a yellow colour to the beverage.; Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Habitat & North American Range

Wet to mesic, coniferous and mixed forests, bogs, willow scrub, and tundra, often associated with mosses from sea level to 1500 metres. (Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7)