Actaea racemosa L.

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

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 20" (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.

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

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 12-24" (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 20" (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

Erv Evans' site at the North Carolina State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (PDF)

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

5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 31 × 21" (78 × 52 cm)

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

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

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

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

5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

Range:

About this map...