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Actaea racemosa L.

Black snakeroot, black baneberry, black bugbane, black cohosh, fairy candle

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassMagnoliidaeIncludes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others
OrderRanunculalesBasal (evolved earlier) eudicots, also called “true dicots”
FamilyRanunculaceaeButtercup family
GenusActaeaFrom ancient Greek, signifying a wet habitat and its leaves’ similarity to Sambucus leaves
SpeciesracemosaLatin for "has a raceme," or flower spike (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)

About plant names...

Black snakeroot is native to eastern North America.

Identification: Plants reach 10-24″ (25-60 cm). On all of the baneberries, leaves often occur in groups of three, on thin stems, and are saw-toothed. White flowers form on tall stalks up to 8′ (2.5 m) in height, with the flowering portions up to 1½′ (50 cm) tall.

Don't confuse black snakeroot with the unrelated plant, Canadian black snakeroot. Both of these plants are found in eastern Canada and the eastern United States.

 

Actaea racemosa (black snakeroot, black baneberry, black bugbane, black cohosh, fairy candle)

7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Actaea racemosa (black snakeroot, black baneberry, black bugbane, black cohosh, fairy candle)

7/6/2013 · Mike and Ellen’s, Shohola, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 7 × 10″ (16 × 25 cm)

Some similar plants:

  You are here
Actaea racemosa

Actaea rubifolia

Sanicula canadensis
Common Name

black snakeroot

Appalachian bugbane

Canadian black snakeroot
Plant Plants reach 10-24″ (25-60 cm). Plants are 12-55″ (30-140 cm) tall. Plants are 1-2′ (30-60 cm) high. Stems are light green, sometimes furrowed.
Flowers White flowers form on tall stalks up to 8′ (2.5 m) in height, with the flowering portions up to 1½′ (50 cm) tall.

White flowers form long, attractive, feathery-looking spikes 6-24″ (15-60 cm) long, straight or slightly curved. Individual flowers have 5 sepals and are about ⅜″ (9.5 mm) in diameter. Small clusters, greenish-white, not especially interesting.
Leaves Leaves often occur in groups of three, on thin stems, and are saw-toothed. Toothed, shaped like maple leaves. Leaflets are 6-12″ (15-30 cm) long. In groups of three, and are less than 3″ (7.6 cm) long.
Fruit Black or dark brown seeds. Fruits are ⅛″ (3 mm) around, and reddish brown. Seed pods are about ½″ (1.3 cm) in diameter, and resemble burrs, with small hooks.
Range/ Zones

Habitats Rich soils in moist woods, ravines   Rich woods, open rocky woods, thickets
Type Wild Wild Wild
Occurrence Common Endangered Common

 

Edibility: Most members of the buttercup family, including other species of Actaea, are poisonous. Though black snakeroot is not considered a strong poison, its use for medicinal purposes is not adequately supported or refuted by scientific studies. (See the Wikipedia article below, or this article from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.) Liver damage has been reported in a few cases.

Online References:

Wikipedia

Discover Life

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (PDF)

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Actaea racemosa var. racemosa)

The Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

Actaea racemosa (black snakeroot, black baneberry, black bugbane, black cohosh, fairy candle)

7/31/2016 · Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Actaea racemosa (black snakeroot, black baneberry, black bugbane, black cohosh, fairy candle)

5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts

 

Actaea racemosa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 6 May 2023.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.


 

Actaea racemosa (black snakeroot, black baneberry, black bugbane, black cohosh, fairy candle)

7/6/2013 · Mike and Ellen’s, Shohola, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 19 cm)

Actaea racemosa (black snakeroot, black baneberry, black bugbane, black cohosh, fairy candle)

7/6/2013 · Mike and Ellen’s, Shohola, Penn­syl­vania · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm)

Actaea racemosa (black snakeroot, black baneberry, black bugbane, black cohosh, fairy candle)

5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts

Range:

About this map...