Actaea rubifolia (Appalachian Bugbane)

Actaea rubifolia

Actaea rubifolia (Kearney) Kartesz

Actaea cordifolia auct. non DC.

Cimicifuga cordifolia auct. non (DC.) Torr. & A. Gray

Cimicifuga racemosa (L.) Nutt. var. cordifolia auct. non (DC.) A. Gray

Cimicifuga rubifolia Kearney

Appalachian Bugbane

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	rubifolia

About plant names...

The “bugbane” in Appalachian bugbane refers to its unpleasant-smelling flowers’ ability to repel insects. This is a North American native, and an endangered species. There are small populations in Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, and the lower Ohio River Valley.

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA
≈ 6 × 9" (16 × 24 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm)

Some similar plants:

	*Actaea racemosa*	*Actaea racemosa var. racemosa*	You are here 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

Identification: Plants are 12-55" (30-140 cm) tall. Leaves are toothed, and shaped like maple leaves. Leaflets are 6-12" (15-30 cm) long. The 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. Fruits are ⅛" (3 mm) around, and reddish brown.

Edibility: Poisonous Skull & Crossbones I couldn’t find specific information for this species, but other members of this family are very poisonous.

Online References:

Actaea rubifolia on eFloras

Actaea rubifolia on Discover Life

Actaea rubifolia at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Actaea rubifolia at the New England Wild Flower Society

Actaea rubifolia on Biodiversity of the Oak Ridge Reservation

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 27 cm)

Actaea rubifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 Apr 2012.

Range:

About this map...