| Author | Standley | |
| Distribution | Mostly outer Coastal Plain, Outer Banks, and barrier islands. Locally inland along the Cape Fear and Roanoke rivers, to eastern Halifax County and Fayetteville, Cumberland County.
Coastal Plain, MD to central FL and western LA; inland population from OH and IL to KS and TX. | |
| Abundance | Uncommon to frequent on the Outer Banks and other barrier islands; rare to uncommon elsewhere (and very local away from tidal waters). This is a Watch List species, but probably can be removed from that list, and the State Rank seems to be close to S3, though the current rank of S2S3 is suitable for now. | |
| Habitat | Interdune marshes and swales, margins of brackish marshes, and other tidal wetlands. Far inland in floodplains of brownwater rivers, such as on levee forests (but oddly not in fresh marshes well inland). | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting August - October. | |
| Identification | Eastern Bloodleaf, or simply Bloodleaf, is readily identified by ite elongate (conical) inflorescence of white spikes extending well above the ovate leaves. The spikes are simple or short-branched, terminal and in leaf axils, and each fruit produces long wispy hairs. It grows to 2-4 feet tall. When not in bloom, it can be easily overlooked in its brackish marsh habitats, often overtopped by taller grasses, sedges, and rushes; however, when in bloom the steeple-shaped white inflorescence is quite noticeable in an otherwise green-colored marsh. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | Bloodleaf, Juda's Bush, Woodland Amaranth, Rootstock Bloodleaf | |
| State Rank | S2S3 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | W1 | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACW link |
| USACE-emp | FACW link |
