Actaea pachypoda f. rubrocarpa (Doll’s-eyes)

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Actaea pachypoda f. rubrocarpa (Killip) Fernald

Doll’s-eyes

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Magnoliidae	Includes magnolias, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, avocado, black pepper, and many others
Order	Ranunculales	Basal (evolved earlier) eudicots, also called “true dicots”
Family	Ranunculaceae	Buttercup family
Genus	Actaea	From ancient Greek, signifying a wet habitat and its leaves’ similarity to Sambucus leaves
Species	pachypoda
f.	rubrocarpa

About plant names...

This rare variant of white baneberry is a North American native.

Identification: White baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) is a plant that produces clusters of white berries. Red baneberry (Actaea rubra) produces red berries. This rare variant of white baneberry produces red berries. To make the confusion complete, there is also a rare form of red baneberry (Actaea rubra f. neglecta) that produces white berries. On all of the baneberries, leaves often occur in groups of three, on thin stems, and are saw-toothed.

Some variants are compared below:

5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm)

	*Actaea pachypoda*	You are here Actaea pachypoda f. rubrocarpa	*Actaea rubra*
Common Name	white baneberry	doll’s-eyes	red baneberry
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.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 3-8	USDA Zones: 3-8
Habitats			Actaea racemosa
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Common	Rare	Common

	*Actaea rubra f. neglecta*
Common Name	white-fruited red baneberry
Plant	12-36" (30-91 cm) high
Flowers	roughly spherical (racemes) of small white or purple Flowers ¼" (6.3 mm) across, with a roselike odor. Flowerheads appear soft and feathery. Flowers appear in May.
Leaves	In groups of three, on thin stems, and are saw-toothed. Individual leaves are somewhat divided into three sections
Fruit	Oval when green, becoming rounder and white when ripe
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Moist, shaded areas, such as forest floors
Type	Wild

Edibility: Skull & Crossbones 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:

The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Www.jstor.org

EFloras

ZipcodeZoo.com

Actaea pachypoda f. rubrocarpa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.

Range: Zones 3-8:

About this map...