Coptis laciniata

This Pacific-Northwest species is relatively common but is somewhat threatened by logging of old-growth forests and by collection.

This species occurs from western-central Washington to California at relatively low elevations (Vance et al. 2001).

This species grows in the duff layer of soils, and tends to grow in association with wetlands (Vance et al. 2001); It is also a late-successional species that forms ground cover in old-growth forests (Vance et al. 2001). These factors make its habitat sensitive and the species relatively vulnerable to ecological disturbance such logging of coastal forests. Coptis laciniata may also be threatened by collection of its roots for medicinal purposes, though the real extent of this threat depends on the methods in which the roots are collected and the quantities collected per plant. Appropriate collection methods, which minimize root and rhizome damage, are suggested by Vance et al. (2001). Potential collecting pressures on wild specimens may be reduced by using cultivated material. An asian cultivar, Coptis sinensis, is available for commercial use (Tilford 1998).