Lithospermum caroliniense is commonly known as the Hairy puccoon or Carolina puccoon. It is found in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in the Midwest, around the Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

, and through the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 provinces surrounding the Great Lakes. The plant grows in sandhills, pine barrens and dry, sandy woods

Woodland

Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...

.

Dr. Robert W. Poole and Dr. Patricia Gentili at the website nearctica describe the Hairy puccoon

Puccoon

Puccoon is a common name that refers to any of several plants formerly used by certain Native Americans for dyes. The dyes were made from the plants' roots.The name is derived from the Powhatan word poughkone.-Types:...

 as follows:

Flowers large (up to 1 inch in diameter) yellow-orange with 5 petals and basal parts of petals fused into a long corolla tube. Stamens hidden in corolla tube. Flowers arranged in a flat-topped cluster or weakly curled, short sprays. Stem and leaves coarsely hairy. Leaves broadest in the middle, tapering at either end, and outer margin smooth. Plant 1 to 2.5 feet in height.

Cultivation and uses

To cultivate Lithospermum caroliniense a warm sunny position in a moderately fertile well-drained lime-free sandy soil is needed.

A red dye is obtained from the dried or pulverized root

Root

In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...

s. The powdered root has also been used in the treatment of chest wounds.