noun

• Originally: (more fully "Canadian yellowroot") the plant goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis, of Canada and the northern United States; the yellow rhizome of this plant, used medicinally and as the source of a yellow dye. In later use also: (more fully "shrub yellowroot") a shrub of eastern North America, Xanthorhiza simplicissima (family Ranunculaceae), having pinnate leaves, racemes of purplish flowers, and a yellow root.