Actaea pachypoda
Actaea pachypoda
white baneberry
- Plant type and subtype:
- Perennials
- Hardiness Zone:
- 3,
- 4,
- 5,
- 6,
- 7,
- 8
- Light Requirements:
- shade,
- part-shade
- Height: 1'-3'
- Leaf Color:
- green
- Bloom Color:
- white
- Bloom Time:
- Apr,
- May,
- Jun
- Water Use:
- medium
- Soil Moisture:
- moist,
- wet
- Soil Description:
- acid,
- rich
- Additional Tags:
- berries,
- colonizing,
- fragrant flowers,
- naturalizing,
- poisonous,
- shade garden plant,
- showy fruit
- Description:
Native to woodlands, the white baneberry has astilbe-like, dense, fragrant, white flower clusters, appearing on stems up to 3' tall, above deeply serrated leaflets. The flowers give way to clusters of white, pea-size berries with a dark purple spot formed by the flower stigma. These fruit quite literally resemble porcelain doll's eyes and will remain on the plant until frost, giving it great fall interest.
- Cultivation:
Best grown in a well shaded spot, it thrives in well drained soil rich in organic material. Care should be taken not to let the roots dry out during hot summers, although overly wet conditions will also produce a decline in foliage. It will colonize by seed under ideal conditions. Blooms in spring, April to June. Zones 3-8
- Propagation:
Propagate by planting the seeds as they ripen, or by root division in early spring. Plants propagated by seed may take 3 years to flower.
- Additional Notes:
Care should be taken in choosing a location for this plant because its attractive berries are considered very toxic if ingested. They are best kept out of reach of children.
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, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, 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: | Buttercup family | |
| Genus: | Actaea | baneberry |
| Species: | Actaea pachypoda | white baneberry |
| Synonyms: | baneberry, doll's eye |
USDA Endangered Status
| N/A |
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