Actaea racemosa
Actaea racemosa
black baneberry
- Plant type and subtype:
- Perennials
- Hardiness Zone:
- 5,
- 6,
- 7
- Light Requirements:
- shade,
- part-shade
- Height: 3'-6'
- Leaf Color:
- green
- Bloom Color:
- white
- Bloom Time:
- May,
- Jun,
- Jul,
- Aug
- Water Use:
- medium
- Soil Moisture:
- moist
- Soil Description:
- acid,
- rich,
- loam
- Additional Tags:
- berries,
- attracts butterflies,
- clumping,
- colonizing,
- medicinal,
- naturalizing,
- shade garden plant,
- woodland garden plant
- Description:
Black baneberry is a large bush-like, shade perennial with attractive, deeply cut leaves. In summer, tall racemes reaching heights of 6 feet or more appear above the foliage. They are topped with long bottle brush-like clusters of fuzzy, white flowers.
- Cultivation:
Actaea racemosa is a striking woodland native that may be used as a focal point in a shade garden or to naturalize large, open shade areas. It likes moist, organic soil and will self seed under ideal conditions. Keep away from direct sun. Might require staking in exposed areas. Flowers last three weeks, and may bloom as early as May or as late as August, depending on their geographic location. Zones 5-7
- Propagation:
Propagate by root division of mature plants, in spring or fall. May be propagated from seeds as soon as they ripen, but young plants can take up to 4 years to flower.
- Additional Notes:
The roots have been historically used in the treatment of ailments ranging from snakebite and lung inflammations, to the pains of child birth.
Map of Native Range
- Range by State: USDA data
- Recorded County Distribution: USDA data
*The map of native range is based on the latest available USDA data.
There may be gaps in the county level distribution.
AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV
Classification
| Kingdom: | Plantae | Plants |
| Subkingdom: | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants |
| Superdivision: | Spermatophyta | Seed plants |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons |
| Subclass: | Magnoliidae | |
| Order: | Ranunculales | |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae | Buttercup family |
| Genus: | Actaea | baneberry |
| Species: | Actaea racemosa | black baneberry |
| Synonyms: | black snakeroot, fairy candles |
USDA Endangered Status
| N/A |
You must be logged in to post a comment.