Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L., Ranunculaceae)
is a popular medicinal plant and has been listed in
Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES). The herbaceous
perennial is distributed in North America under
deciduous forest canopies throughout much of the
south and eastern seaboard north into Canada. The
rhizome, rootlets and root hairs produce medicinally
active alkaloids. Although berberine, one of the
Hydrastis alkaloids, has shown anti-fungal activity,
the influence of Hydrastis alkaloids on the plant
rhizosphere fungal ecology has not been investigated.
While a Fusarium spp. was previously isolated from
H. canadensis, this is the first report of a F.
oxysporum endophyte isolated from Hydrastis root
tissue. The findings suggest that the Hydrastis root
extract appears to provide selective advantage for
the endophytic isolate and influences the fungal
ecology associated with its root system. The analysis
should shed some light on the debate over whether the
quality of botanical medicine produced by plants
grown in stable microbial soil populations found in
native settings is superior to medicine made by
plants from cultivated fields.