Actaea neglecta Gillman
Actaea arguta var. alabastrina Lunell.
Actaea arguta var. eburnea (Rydb.) Cockerell
Actaea rubra f. neglecta (Gillmann) B.L.Rob.
White-fruited red baneberry
Seriously? You’ve got your white-fruited baneberry. Your red-fruited baneberry. A type of white-fruited baneberry that produces red fruit. And this, a type of red-fruited baneberry that produces white fruit. Go figure. White-fruited red baneberry is a North American native, though the only information I can find on the natural species is that Kew Gardens lists the species name as an accepted name. A few gardening outlets list it.
Plants: White-fruited red baneberry is 1–3′ (30–91 cm) high.
Leaves: On all of the baneberries, leaves often occur in groups of three, on thin stems, and are saw-toothed. Individual leaves are somewhat divided into three sections.
Flowers: Flowerheads are roughly spherical (racemes) of small white or purple flowers ¼″ (6.3 mm) across, with a roselike odor. Flowerheads appear soft and feathery. They appear in May.
Fruits: Berries are oval when green, becoming rounder and white when ripe.
Habitats: Moist, shaded areas, such as forest floors.
Edibility: 
All parts of this plant are poisonous. Causes burning of the mouth and throat, salivation, stomach cramps, headache, diarrhea, dizziness,
and hallucinations. Berries have caused fatalities in children.
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Some similar species. |
Online References:
Wikispecies (Actaea rubra)
Actaea eburnea Rydb.
Actaea neglecta Gillman
Actaea arguta var. alabastrina Lunell.
Actaea arguta var. eburnea (Rydb.) Cockerell
Actaea neglecta Gillman
Actaea arguta var. alabastrina Lunell.
Actaea arguta var. eburnea (Rydb.) Cockerell
6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 10 cm) 
6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| 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 | rubra | From the Latin ruber or rubra meaning “red” |
| f. | neglecta | Neglected or overlooked |
Actaea rubra f. neglecta description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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