Actaea racemosa var. racemosa (Black Cohosh)

Actaea racemosa var. racemosa

Actaea racemosa L. var. racemosa

Cimicifuga racemosa (L.) Nutt.

Black Cohosh, Black Bugbane, Bugbane, Black Snakeroot, Fairy Candles

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	racemosa	Latin for "has a raceme," or flower spike (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
var.	racemosa	Latin for “has a raceme,” or flower spike (from Stearn’s Botanical Latin)

About plant names...

Many common names of black cohosh include “bugbane,” since the unpleasant-smelling flowers tend to repel insects. This is a North American native. What’s a cohosh? A native American word for rough—a reference to the bumpy roots. See also the unrelated plant blue cohosh.

Identification: Plants are 3-6' (91-182 cm) tall, rarely to 9' (2.7 m); and fast-growing. Leaves are toothed, irregular in shape, in roughly triangular clusters tipped by a larger three-lobed leaflets. Leaflets are 1-4" (3-10 cm) long. The ill-smelling flowers form long, attractive, feathery-looking spikes 6-24" (15-60 cm) long—hence the name “fairy candles.” Individual flowers have 4-5 sepals and are about ⅜" (9.5 mm) in diameter. Fruits are ⅛-¼" (6-9 mm) long, thick, and leathery.

7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, ME
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is tentative or incomplete

7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, ME
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm) ID is tentative or incomplete

Some similar plants:

	*Actaea racemosa*	You are here Actaea racemosa var. racemosa	*Actaea rubifolia*
Name	Black Snakeroot	Black Cohosh	Appalachian Bugbane
Plant	Plants reach 10-24" (25-60 cm).	Plants are 3-6' (91-182 cm) tall, rarely to 9' (2.7 m); and fast-growing.	Plants are 12-55" (30-140 cm) tall.
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.	Long, attractive, feathery-looking spikes 6-24" (15-60 cm) long. Individual flowers have 4-5 sepals and are about ⅜" (9.5 mm) in diameter.	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.
Leaves	Leaves often occur in groups of three, on thin stems, and are saw-toothed.	Toothed, irregular in shape, in roughly triangular clusters tipped by a larger three-lobed leaflets. Leaflets are 1-4" (3-10 cm) long.	Toothed, shaped like maple leaves. Leaflets are 6-12" (15-30 cm) long.
Fruit	Black or dark brown seeds.	Fruits are ⅛-¼" (6-9 mm) long, thick, and leathery.	Fruits are ⅛" (3 mm) around, and reddish brown.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Rich soils in moist woods, ravines	Rich, moist deciduous woods
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Common	Endangered in IL and MA	Endangered

	*Sanicula canadensis*
Name	Canadian Black Snakeroot
Plant	Plants are 12-24" (30-60 cm) high. Stems are light green, sometimes furrowed.
Flowers	Small clusters, greenish-white, not especially interesting.
Leaves	In groups of three, and are less than 3" (7.6 cm) long.
Fruit	Seed pods are about ½" (1.3 cm) in diameter, and resemble burrs, with small hooks.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Rich woods, open rocky woods, thickets
Type	Wild
Occurrence	Common

Medical: Native Americans used extracts of this plant as analgesics, sedatives, or anti inflammatory drugs; for example, in the treatment of snake bites. Black cohosh is used by some today to relieve menopausal symptoms, but there are no rigorous studies to support this. See HerbMed for information on clinical studies of black cohosh.

Online References:

Actaea racemosa var. racemosa on www.appalachianforest.org

Actaea racemosa var. racemosa at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Actaea racemosa var. racemosa at the Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

Actaea racemosa var. racemosa on Keir Morse's site, Keirosity.com

Actaea racemosa var. racemosa on Discover Life

Actaea racemosa var. racemosa at Lucas Land: The Wildflowers of Highland and Bath Counties, Virginia

Actaea racemosa var. racemosa on www.frostburg.edu

7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, ME
≈ 5 × 8" (13 × 19 cm) ID is tentative or incomplete

Actaea racemosa var. racemosa description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 15 Feb 2012.

7/17/2010 · Stan and Connie’s, Falmouth, ME
≈ 8 × 12" (20 × 31 cm) ID is tentative or incomplete

Range:

About this map...