Actaea alba auct. non (L.) Mill.
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Actaea pachypoda Elliott White baneberry, doll’s eyes
Baneberries are members of the buttercup family. They are natives of eastern North America, and live in wooded areas. Identification: If it is the time of year for them, baneberries’ most distinguishing feature is, well, the berries. Relatively few plants produce white berries, and the small black or purplish dots at one end of each berry led to the common name “doll’s eyes.” The stalks supporting the berries are conspicuously colored (photo 8). If it isn’t the time of year for the berries, the sharp-toothed leaf clusters are fairly distinctive in shape. In addition to the red berries, red baneberries have rounder flower clusters, vs. the more cone-shaped cluster in white baneberries. On all of the baneberries, leaves often occur in groups of three, on thin stems, and are saw-toothed. Some variants are compared below: |
1 · 11/27/2009 · Maine
2 · 8/18/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts |
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| You are here Actaea pachypoda |
Actaea pachypoda f. rubrocarpa |
Actaea rubra |
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| Plant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flowers | Flowerheads of small white flowers are roughly oval in shape. Each flower is ¼" (6.3 mm) across. | Flowerheads of small white flowers are roughly oval in shape. Each flower is ¼" (6.3 mm) across. | Feathery flowerheads of small white flowers are roughly oval in shape. Each flower is ¼" (6.3 mm) across. Flowers have a roselike fragrance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leaves | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fruit | White berries supported by red pedicels that are ⅛" (3 mm) or more in thickness. Berry tips have black-purple spot. | Red berries supported by pedicels that are ⅛" (3 mm) or more in thickness. Instead of the tomato red of red baneberry, these berries have a more luminous deep magenta color, becoming more purplish with time. | Bright or dark red, oval berries are supported by pedicels that are less than ⅛" (3 mm) thick. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Habitats | Actaea racemosa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Wild | Wild | Wild | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occurrence | Common | Rare | Common | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Actaea rubra f. neglecta
Edibility: 
All parts of this plant are poisonous. As few as two of these
very bitter berries may
be fatal to children; a half dozen can cause cardiac arrest and bizarre neurological symptoms in an adult. The roots and leaves also contain several poisons that are dangerous when ingested and can cause skin blisters.
Online References:
Actaea pachypoda on Missouriplants.com
Actaea pachypoda at Illinois Wildflowers
Actaea pachypoda on Wikipedia
Actaea pachypoda at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Actaea pachypoda on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site
Actaea pachypoda on CalPhotos
Actaea pachypoda on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
Actaea pachypoda on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database
Actaea pachypoda on eFloras
3 · 8/14/2015 · Roost Trail, Grafton Notch State Park, Newry, Maine
≈ 4½ × 3½" (11 × 9.5 cm) 
4 · 8/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm) 
5 · 7/23/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 7 × 6" (18 × 15 cm) 
6 · 8/24/2018 · Old Long Loop, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 12" (20 × 31 cm) 
7 · 8/25/2021 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine
≈ 4½ × 3½" (11 × 9.4 cm) 
8 · Finding this in the woods—and puzzling over it on and off for the next six months—got me interested in wild plants in the first place. · 9/23/2007 · Near Mike & Ellen’s, Milford, Pennsylvania
≈ 3 × 2" (7.9 × 5.3 cm) 
9 · 12/12/2020 · By Kathleen Williamson 
10 · 9/5/2020 · Hedgehog Mountain, Freeport, Maine
≈ 4½ × 6" (12 × 14 cm) 
11 · Immature fruit · 7/3/2005 · Pepperell, Massachusetts 
12 · 9/25/2017 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 3½" (8.6 × 9.1 cm) 
13 · 5/14/2012 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm) 
14 · 9/25/2017 · Oak Hill, Littleton, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (21 × 15 cm) 
15 · 9/6/2010 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm) 
Actaea pachypoda description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 11 Oct 2021.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
16 · 9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm) 
17 · 8/16/2012 · Mt. Tom State Reservation, Beau Bridge Trail, Holyoke, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) 
18 · 8/18/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm) 
19 · 10/6/2021 · Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport, Maine
≈ 4½ × 3½" (11 × 9.4 cm) 
20 · 5/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm) 
21 · 5/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 7 × 5" (17 × 13 cm) 
22 · 9/29/2016 · Henry E. Cowdrey Nature Center, Lunenberg, Massachusetts 
23 · 5/14/2012 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 3½" (9.8 × 9.2 cm) 
24 · 8/22/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 6 × 5" (14 × 12 cm) 
25 · Unripe berries. · 7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 7 × 7" (16 × 18 cm) 
26 · 7/15/2019 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, New Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 7 × 8" (16 × 20 cm) 
27 · These berries will ripen to white. · 7/23/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 5 × 6" (13 × 14 cm) 
Range:
