- puccoon
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/peuh koohn"/, n.1. any of certain plants that yield a red dye, as the bloodroot and certain plants belonging to the genus Lithospermum, of the borage family.2. the dye itself.[1605-15, Amer.; < Virginia Algonquian (E sp.) poughkone the herb Lithospermum vulgare and the red dye made from its root (c. Unami Delaware pé·ko·n bloodroot)]
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▪ plantany of several plants formerly used by certain North American Indians for dyes (dye) derived from the roots, the term being an Algonquian name for dye. Lithospermum species include the yellow puccoon, or Indian paint (L. canescens), with small yellow or orange flowers and reddish roots. It and a few other species (L. incisum and L. carolinense) of the borage family (Boraginaceae) are sometimes planted in the wild garden. The red puccoon, or bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), is a dye-yielding member of the poppy family (Papaveraceae).* * *
Universalium. 2010.